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LONDON – YouTube suspended monetization of Russell Brand’s channel on Tuesday, claiming he violated its “Creator Responsibility Policy,” just days after the British actor and comedian was accused of a series of offenses including rape, sexual Coercion and abuse.
At least four women accused the 48-year-old Brand of sexual assault or rape between 2006 and 2013, a time when he was at the peak of his career, according to an investigation published by several British media outlets on Saturday. British police said they had now received a separate charge of sexual assault against a woman. Brand has denied the allegations.
His management agency ended its collaboration with him, saying it had been “terribly misled” by the artist, while his publisher announced that it would “pause” any future projects with him. The remaining live theater performances in the UK were also postponed and a women’s charity he worked with ended its association with him.
Before the investigations by the Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 newspapers were published, Brand released a video on Friday in which he “absolutely” rejected the “astonishing” claims. “As I have detailed in my books, I was very, very promiscuous,” Brand said. “During this period of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual.”
Brand has more than 6.6 million subscribers on his YouTube channel and has posted more than 2,000 videos. It’s not clear how much money he made from the platform, but a social media analytics agency told the Guardian his income could be thousands of dollars per video.
YouTube said it has removed Brand from its partner program – which gives creators greater access to YouTube resources and monetization features and allows revenue sharing from running ads on their content.
“When a YouTuber’s off-platform behavior harms our users, employees, or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community,” the platform said in a statement. “If a creator is banned from the YouTube Partner Program, they will be prohibited from using a new or alternative channel to circumvent our enforcement decision.”
Brand’s YouTube channel remains active, although he hasn’t uploaded any new videos since Friday.
Russell Brand is accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse by four women
The allegations relate to a period when Brand was particularly high profile in Britain and the United States, hosting shows on the BBC and Channel 4 and appearing in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Rock of Ages. Both public broadcasters have announced that they will investigate the allegations.
A woman has been accused of raping her in his Los Angeles home. Medical records show she was treated at a rape crisis center that same day, the Times reported. A woman who worked with Brand claimed he attacked her at his home in West Hollywood, while another reported he attacked her at a hotel in Manchester, United Kingdom, the Times added.
An unidentified woman said she was 16 when Brand abused her during a three-month relationship in Britain, where the age of consent is 16. The woman said she met Brand when he was 30 and that during that time he sent a BBC chauffeur-driven car to pick her up from school and take her to his house.
London’s Metropolitan Police said it received a separate allegation of a 2003 sexual assault on a woman in the Soho district the day after Channel 4’s investigation was broadcast.
“We first spoke to the Sunday Times on Saturday September 16 and have since taken further steps with the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure that anyone who believes they have been a victim of a sexual offense knows “How to report this to the police,” the statement said.
“We continue to encourage anyone who believes they have been the victim of a sexual offense, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office said the allegations against Brand were “very serious and worrying” and urged people to come forward if they believe they are victims of sexual assault.
“The Prime Minister has made it clear that there should never be room for harassment, regardless of where it occurs,” the statement said.
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Samantha Chery contributed to this report.
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