...as YouTube stops comic from monetising his channel

YouTube has stopped Russell Brand from making money from his 6.5million subscribers as the BBC pulled his programmes from iPlayer.

The Google-owned  video sharing platform has suspended adverts on the comedian’s account after he was accused of rape and sexual assault – although the content remains available to view.

It has been estimated he made up to £1million a year from his share of the ad revenue generated.

Brand previously used the channel to issue a robust denial of the claims made against him by four women to the Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches.

The company said it had suspended monetisation on Brand's channel for ‘violating our Creator Responsibility policy’. A spokesperson said: ‘"If a creator's off-platform behaviour harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community.’

It comes as the BBC removed programmes featuring Brand from its on-demand service, Chortle can reveal.

Until last night, an 2018 episode of QI featuring Brand as a panellist and a Joe Wicks podcast from 2021 on which he guested had been available on the platform – despite the corporation launching a probe into his behaviour while he was employed on Radio 2.

The move will increase pressure on Netflix to pull his 2018 stand-up special Re:Birth, which is still available on its platform

The BBC is facing growing pressure to come clean about  complaints made when Brand he was one of its star presenters.

The broadcaster has either ignored or refused to answer Freedom of Information requests from The Times and The Sunday Times for information about concerns raised by staff who worked with him.

It said that such a disclosure could include Brand’s ‘personal data’ and that ‘even confirming or denying whether or not that information exists would be unfair’.

Legal experts say broadcasters who employed Brand could be criminally liable if they were found to have ignored concerns about him.

Thomas Beale, a partner specialising in bullying and harassment claims at London-based law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, says: 

'If the BBC and Channel 4 were aware of the allegations made against Brand, and failed to take action to protect their employees, they could face civil claims in negligence for Brand’s alleged conduct and the psychiatric injuries that he has caused to those individuals. In addition, if Brand’s behaviour amounts to harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, then his former employers could also face civil claims under the act.'

'The accusations against Brand point to underlying power issues in the entertainment industry. The liability of the BBC and Channel 4 remains to be seen, as both internal and external investigations are taking place to corroborate the reports of misconduct.'

Yesterday, the final dates in Brand’s current stand-up tour, Bipolarisation, were shelved following the accusations levelled at him.

The comedian had been due to play  the Theatre Royal Windsor tomorrow, Plymouth Pavilions on Friday and Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Saturday September 28. However a statement from the unnamed promoters said: ‘We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows, we don't like doing it - but we know you'll understand.’

Channel 4 also axed all programmes featuring Brand from its  streaming service: Big Brother’s Big Mouth and the celebrity episode of The Great British Bake Off featuring the comic.

Yesterday a woman came forward to the Metropolitan Police to say the comedian assaulted her in Central London 20 years ago, after allegations were reported by the Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches this weekend.

The complaints date from between 2006 and 2013 while he was a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 and then an actor in Hollywood.

Brand has vehemently denied the claims, saying that although he was promiscuous at the height of his fame, every encounter was 'absolutely consensual’.  He said he believed the stories about him had emerged because he  challenged the narratives of the mainstream news media. Read his response here. 

Brand also has a channel on the Rumble video sharing platform, favoured by America’s right-wing, which he set up after being banned from other social media for his claims about the Covid virus.  It has 1.2million subscribers, and adverts do currently run  before Brand’s videos.

Published: 19 Sep 2023