Russell Brand’s comedy shows have been postponed amid sexual abuse allegations
Comedian Russell Brand is facing the fallout from sexual assault allegations as his agency fired him and promoters postponed his live comedy shows.
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Russell Brand is facing a lawsuit from a woman named Jane Doe who claims she was sexually assaulted by the British comedian on the set of the 2011 “Arthur” remake.
The woman accused Brand of being “drunk” on July 7, 2010, before exposing herself “in full view of the cast and crew,” according to an affidavit filed Friday in New York Supreme Court, Suffolk County emerges, which was obtained by People and the BBC.
Doe alleges that later that same day, Brand sexually assaulted her in a bathroom “while a member of the production team was guarding the door from the outside,” court documents say.
The woman also states that she was put to work for three days, but was not asked to return for a second and third day after the assault, nor was she paid for that time.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Brand and an attorney for Doe.
Warner Bros Pictures, Warner Bros. Discover, MBST Entertainment, BenderSpink and Langley Park Productions are also defendants.
Fearing retaliation, Doe asked the courts to protect her anonymity. “I am terrified of being blacklisted in the industry or suffering other negative repercussions beyond what I have already suffered if my name is included in a sexual assault lawsuit against others in the industry is associated,” she stated in the filing. “I can’t bear to imagine the career I love being put at risk.”
In an interview with The Sunday Times published on Saturday, the woman said: “I felt used and abused. Disgusting is the only word. I felt like I was being used, like I was just an object for his momentary excitement.”
Four other women are accused of sexual assault against Russell Brand and are being investigated by police
Brand, 48, has already faced allegations of rape, sexual assault and abuse by four other women who knew him over a seven-year period at the height of his fame.
In a joint investigation published on September 16, The Sunday Times, The Times of London and Channel 4’s Dispatches revealed the allegations, including a woman claiming Brand raped her while three others accused him of sexual assault.
Brand denied the allegations and claimed all of his relationships were consensual.
The woman in Friday’s lawsuit told the Sunday Times that she decided to take legal action after gaining “strength” from reading the “allegations of other women” detailed to the newspaper.
“I don’t think I would have been able to do it on my own. Hopefully, when other women see another woman open up about what happened to her, they will find the strength deep within themselves to speak out,” she said.
The alleged victim also opened up about the work culture on set. “Usually everyone turns a blind eye to bad behavior on set,” she said. “If I had come forward and said something to, say, a production assistant on set, what would they do?”
“Are they going to fire him? No,” she said. “You won’t want to get rid of him.”
Assault allegations against Russell Brand are mounting: Agent, publisher drop comedian, comments resurface
Doe’s case is the first to go to court following the British media investigation. Separately, two British police forces are investigating sexual crimes allegedly committed by Brand.
Thames Valley Police is taking a new look at harassment and stalking allegations made against Brand by a woman between 2018 and 2022, the BBC and PA news agencies said in October.
London’s Metropolitan Police said in September it was investigating “a number of allegations of sexual offenses” related to Brand following the media investigation.
Contribution: The Associated Press
Investigation by Russell Brand: What his accusers say happened