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Jimmy Fallon is seen in a newly surfaced clip scolding Russell Brand for making Katharine McPhee uncomfortable by bouncing her on his lap.
The clip only made the rounds after a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches found that four women had made allegations of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse against Brand.
The victims allege his actions took place between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was a presenter for both BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4. Before the investigation was published, he took to Instagram to disavow and deny the allegations.
In light of the recent allegations against Brand, an old clip resurfaced from the stand-up comedian’s 2013 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, in which he attempted to flirt with the American Idol alum to the point where she looked visibly uncomfortable .
In the interview, Brand refused to get up from the interview chair when McPhee – who was married at the time – took the stage as the second guest of the evening.
Brand then grabbed McPhee’s hand and the actress jokingly sat on his lap. Brand told Jimmy, “She’s welcome to sit here.” Fallon then realized exactly what Brand was planning to do and begged him, “No, Russell, don’t even say ‘For the Queen,’ you can’t.”
The Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor then shouted “For the Queen” and jumped suggestively onto McPhee’s lap, who immediately jumped up in shock. Fallon appeared visibly stressed and ran a hand over his face while Brand shamelessly told the singer, “You’re beautiful.”
Russell Brand leaves the Troubabour Wembley Park theater in north west London after performing a comedy set. At the height of his fame, he faces accusations about his sexual behavior. He has vehemently denied the allegations. Picture date: Saturday September 16, 2023.
(PA)
“Russell, please stop. Look away,” Fallon warned him. But Brand, who rose to fame for his crude comedic persona, reiterated: “I’m just going to sit here with my sexual charisma.”
He continued to attempt to flirt with McPhee throughout the remainder of the interview.
He told the audience: “As you know, I announced it, I find Katharine very attractive and I think when she said ‘exchange numbers’ I was thinking of things I would like to exchange with her.”
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Katharine McPhee attends the 2020 Breakthrough Prize red carpet at NASA Ames Research Center on November 3, 2019 in Mountain View, California.
(Getty Images for Breakthrough P)
The comedian then shouted: “Pay. Genes. Genetic information. But it wasn’t until Fallon made a point of bringing up McPhee’s then-husband, Nick Cokas, that Brand finally gave up on flirting: “I didn’t know you were married. I’m leaving now.”
The clip has resurfaced as both the BBC and Channel 4 decided to launch internal investigations into individual allegations made against the stand-up comedian. Former employees and viewers have accused the comedian of predatory behavior during his time as presenter.
According to The Daily Telegraph, programs featuring Brand appearances have been removed from Channel 4’s website, such as episodes of The Great British Bake Off and box sets of Big Brother’s Big Mouth.
The Metropolitan Police Service is reportedly planning further inquiries into the victims and has also said it will speak to the BBC and Channel 4 about the allegations.
A police spokesman said: “We will continue to contact the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure that any crime victims they have spoken to are informed about how to report criminal allegations to the police.”