YouTube has blocked Russell Brand from making money from his channel because he “violated our creator accountability policies.”
The 48-year-old produces around five videos a week for his 6.6 million subscribers, earning an estimated £1 million a year.
Under the terms of his suspension, Brand – whose net worth is estimated at between £15 million and £40 million – will be allowed to continue posting videos on the platform but will not receive any advertising revenue.
YouTube said in a statement: “When a creator’s conduct off-platform harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community.” “This decision applies to all channels owned or operated by Russell Brand become.”
Other channels connected to his main YouTube page include Football Is Nice with around 20,000 subscribers, Awakening With Russell with 426,000 subscribers, and Stay Free With Russell Brand with 22,200 subscribers.
On Saturday, the Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches reported on allegations of abusive and predatory behavior, including rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse, allegedly committed by the presenter between 2006 and 2013.
The news comes after the remaining shows of Brand’s Bipolarisation tour were postponed and the Metropolitan Police said it had received a report of a suspected sexual assault in the wake of media allegations against the comedian and actor.
Brand “completely” denies the allegations and insists that all of his relationships have been consensual.
Russell Brand has around 6 million subscribers on YouTube, which earns him an estimated £49,000 a month
The clips regularly explore conspiracy theories, including the idea that the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and climate change are distracting from the activities of the global elite
Due to the scandal, Channel 4 has already removed all shows linked to Brand on its website, including episodes of The Great British Bake Off and Big Brother’s Big Mouth in which he appeared. Brand’s PR firm MBC PR and talent agent Tavistock Wood are no longer promoting him as clients and his publisher has ended their relationship.
Netflix has now been asked to remove its comedy special “Re:Birth” from its catalog.
Brand’s YouTube account has been suspended from the YouTube Partner Program “due to serious allegations against the YouTuber,” meaning his channel can no longer make money from advertising.
YouTube added that banning a creator from the YouTube Partner Program means they are “prohibited from using a new or alternative channel to circumvent our enforcement decision.”
Brand is still present on the video platform Rumble, where his channel has 1.4 million followers and he hosts a weekly live show at 5pm BST, but there was no new episode on Monday.
His most played video on Rumble is the short clip from Friday in which he denied the allegations against him, which were released the following day.
The Rumble channel description states: “Everyone knows the old ideas won’t help us.” Religion is dead. Capitalism is dead. Communism is dead. Where do the answers lie for the next century? Especially when we are facing a mental health epidemic and ecological collapse.”
Critics claim that since the birth of the Me Too movement in 2017, Brand has “created a cult” online that supports him by providing a platform for conspiracy theories, including the idea that the pandemic, the Ukraine war and climate change are of The activities of the Me Too movement distract global elite.
He also has 11 million followers on Twitter, 4 million fans on Instagram and a hugely popular podcast with a lucrative Stay Free merchandise range.
While it will be a huge blow for Brand, 48, to stop making money from YouTube, it will do little to dent his overall net worth – estimated at up to £40 million
The comic received support online from the likes of Andrew Tate and Elon Musk, and his fans turned out in droves to show their support at an appearance at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Far-right radio host Alex Jones, who owes $1.5 billion in damages to the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, said: “The Matrix is after Russell Brand, anyone who challenges the globalists, anyone , challenging Big.” Pharma, anyone who is popular, who goes against the establishment, is accused of assaulting women. Now that he is speaking out against the New World Order, the accusations are suddenly hitting him.”
One fan said after the allegations that he had abused women: “At some point Russell Brand woke up and became a strong dissenting voice that no longer served their agenda.” No wonder they are so desperate to destroy him.
PR guru Mark Borkowski believes Brand has developed a “cult following” online who may be willing to support him despite the “horrible” allegations about his treatment of women.
Brand, pictured at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theater on Saturday evening, is likely to retain a large portion of his fan base despite the allegations made against him
Russell Brand pictured with his wife Laura Gallacher shortly before the allegations against him were revealed
Russell Brand’s subscriptions and video views on YouTube have exploded since 2017
Comedian Rosie Holt said: “I guess the lesson is: kids: if you’ve had rumors of sexual misconduct going around for ages, start a cult on YouTube to support you when the allegations become public.”
An American writer said: “Since October 2017, Russell Brand knew this day was coming for him.”
“Since then, he has purposefully cultivated and cultivated a new, mentally malleable following that distrusts both women and the media so that he can continue to get high on his other drug of choice – the spotlight.”
The investigation by Channel 4, The Times and Sunday Times began four years ago. Around the same time, he retired from much of his television and film work.
His net worth is estimated to be between £15 million and £40 million. YouTube experts estimate he makes $61,000 a month from YouTube and another $100,000 from merchandise and paid subscriptions to his podcast.
He lives with his wife Laura Gallacher in their £3 million riverside home in Henley, Oxfordshire.
PR experts say it will never be canceled because of this army of fans.
Mark Borkowski believes the comedian, who has been accused by multiple women of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse, has declared war on the mainstream media.
He said: “The crimes he is accused of are horrific and damaging to him and the people who cared for him at the time.”
Brand hosted Big Brother’s Little Brother in May 2006 – another segment of the show that Channel 4 removed with the comedian from its website
Channel 4 has since removed shows linked to Brand from its website. Pictured: Brand at the Celebrity Great British Bake Off
Latest news from Russell Brand
The PR guru said part of his fanbase will remain intact thanks to the “uninhibited, unregulated world of social media” – raising serious questions for the BBC and Channel 4.
He added that the comedian’s dismissal of the allegations was reminiscent of how Donald Trump deals with allegations of inappropriate behavior.
Mr Borkowski said: “I think there will be a large number of people who will stand by him.” Normally your career would be over with such allegations, but in this case that is not the case, which is interesting.
“He’s a great content generator.” He didn’t reach the top of his profession because he’s mediocre. “He has the power to enchant his audience.”
Brand was accused of assaulting four women between 2006 and 2013 while working as a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 and later as an actor in Hollywood. Other women have made a range of allegations of controlling, abusive and predatory behavior.
Mr Borkowski said: “It raises questions about someone who was granted a certain level of power because of his talent and his meteoric rise.”
“It calls into question Russell Brand, but also those in charge on TV. “This morning a lot of people will be looking at themselves – the people in power today will not be the same people who ran this.”
Brand has since been dropped by a women’s charity he worked with, while television production companies and broadcasters have launched investigations into his alleged behavior.
Mr Borkowski added: “It is questionable whether the police will take action against him, but the question at the moment is on social media – the man will not get a fair trial if the police have the evidence to prosecute him.”
“Maybe more people will come forward, others might see an opportunity.” “It’s a very complex case, a mix of old media and social media.”
A joint investigation by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches includes allegations that Brand assaulted one of the women when she was a 16-year-old schoolgirl, and another woman claimed he pushed her against a wall in his Los Angeles home raped.
The Times reports that several other women have since come forward with new claims about Brand.
A woman who used the false name Lisa told the newspaper the comedian sang about Soham murderer Ian Huntley during a consensual sexual encounter in 2008.
She said: “He started talking about Ian Huntley, the pedophile and child murderer, and mentioned it quite a lot, like in jest, but he also made up a whole song about it.”
“I just couldn’t understand why you could have sex and talk about a child murderer at the same time.”
Staff at Big Brother producer Endemol admitted last night that many brands feared “predatory” behavior
The comedian released a video last week in which he refuted all the allegations against him. Pictured: Brand leaving the Troubabour Wembley Park Theater after a performance on Saturday evening
Another woman named Esme told the Times that Brand threatened and insulted her when she refused to have sex with him.
In a now-deleted YouTube video, Brand can be heard joking about raping a woman during a recording of Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theater podcast in 2013.
Before the first allegations were made public, Brand posted a video on Friday in which he said he was “promiscuous” but that all of his relationships were “consensual.”
The BBC, Channel 4 and Banijay UK, which bought Endemol, the company Channel 4 commissioned to produce the Big Brother spin-off shows hosted by Brand, have all launched investigations into his behavior while working on their programmes.
Downing Street called on broadcasters to be “transparent” about the results of their investigations into Brand.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman described the allegations as “very serious and worrying”.
Channel 4 said it has removed incendiary content from its streaming service while it investigates the claims and reminds production companies of its code of conduct.
Brand was accused of preying on viewers for sex while hosting Big Brother spin-off shows EFourum and Big Brother’s Big Mouth on Channel 4.
Banijay UK, which bought Endemol in 2020, said it had launched an “urgent internal investigation” and encouraged “anyone who feels they have been affected by Brand’s behavior” to come forward.
The BBC is facing questions after one of the women, who was 16 when she claimed Brand began a relationship with her, claims he used the company’s car service to pick her up from school and to his home bring to.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour on Monday, the woman, known as Alice, said Brand’s denial was “ridiculous” and “insulting”.
In 2020, the same woman contacted Brand’s literary agent at the time, who was also co-founder of the Tavistock Wood talent agency.
A spokesperson for the agency said that at the time, Brand “categorically and vehemently denied the allegations,” but that it now believes they were “terribly misled” and has severed all professional ties with the comedian.
Yesterday a former model claimed Brand stalked her through the streets of London and demanded sex after they met in a bar, forcing her to run away out of fear of him.
The woman – who remains anonymous – revealed the disturbing incident in 2005, claiming Brand had followed her five steps for “what felt like her life” and shouted to her: “Let’s just fuck here.”
The woman, who was in her 20s at the time, said she met Brand at a bar in Primrose Hill, London. She said Brand followed her onto the street and became “creepy” despite being told not to go with her.
“It felt like he was chasing me. It wasn’t flirty or funny. The word “predator” is absolutely apt.
“He had his sights firmly set on his goal. “His intention was to have sex with anyone,” she told The Sun.
As Dispatches aired on Saturday, Brand performed a sold-out comedy gig at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theater in northwest London as part of his Bipolarization tour.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said there was no ongoing investigation into Brand and another confirmed there had been no arrests following two allegations made in relation to allegations in the US.
The Met Police said: “On Sunday 17 September, the Met received a report of a sexual assault which was said to have occurred in Soho, central London, in 2003.”
“Officers are in contact with the woman and will provide support.”
“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 woman who reported the alleged sexual assault had not spoken to The Sunday Times.