'Katherine Ryan under pressure to speak on Russell Brand but she owes nothing'
In the wake of the allegations made against Russell Brand, Katherine Ryan has been flooded with comments on social media demanding she reveal all about the unnamed 'predator' of the comedy world she has alluded to in the past.
In the last week Brand, 48, has been publicly accused of sexual assault, rape and emotional abuse following a year-long investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. Before the claims were aired in full, Brand released a video on his YouTube channel to deny the 'serious' and 'criminal' allegations.
He said he 'refuted' the claims, telling fans: "the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual".
A year before the documentary, Katherine opened up to Louis Theroux in a BBC documentary about her life and career and recalled a scenario where she confronted an unnamed "predator" during her time as a comedian.
In the BBC documentary, Louis asked Katherine: "You were in the papers recently for saying there was a predator that you had worked with and that you had informed his employers that he was a predator?" Katherine replied: "I didn’t inform employers, I informed him to his face that he was a predator." Asked what she meant by the word 'predator', she explained: "I mean, a perpetrator of sexual assault."
Katherine Ryan shares moment she locked herself out house with her baby inside
Katherine Ryan discussed confronting a 'predator' but didn't name the person she was referring to (BBC)The star went on to say that it was "very dangerous" for her to have the conversation with Louis "but I’m happy to have it". She described it as a "litigious minefield", adding "Lots of people have tried to nail this person down for their alleged crimes."
In the interview, Katherine made it clear she was not a victim of sexual assault herself – saying it was "not my story to tell" – but believed accusations from sources she described as "very credible". It isn't the first time the TV star has discussed the allegations as she also mentioned the 'predator' in a chat with Sara Pascoe on her Amazon show, Backstage with Katherine Ryan, as well as episodes of her podcast.
Brand has denied the allegations (PA)She has never identified whom she is referring to however, since the Brand allegations have come to light the public have persistently been demanding Katherine to speak out, as if the comedian owes any answers for her previous comments to anyone. While other comedians and celebrities are speaking about sexual assault now while the topic is trending on social media, Katherine was having those conversations months before – not for the likes, retweets or because it was in the news but because it was, and always is, an important issue to raise.
While the star has continued about her business raising her children, posting on social media like normal and going to public events – so-called fans have been bombarding her in the comments section of her posts for answers, while other cruel trolls have berated her simply for speaking out when she did.
"Dying to know if you will be discussing Russell Brand and whether he is, in fact, the person you alluded to a while ago..." one penned as another said: "Time to spill the dirt".
But why is it up to Katherine to "spill" anything? The comedian was willing to have conversations when no one else would either listen or allow space for the conversations to be had and now, somehow, she's the one facing pressure?
Rather then looking at attempts to pull out so-called 'answers' from the Canadian star or demand her to 'spill the dirt', fans should be making note of her bravery to discuss difficult subjects at a time when there was a culture of fear placed upon women to speak out about experiences.
We should use this opportunity to learn how staying quiet changes nothing and encourage our loved ones to be brave. So rather than demanding anything from Katherine, we should be praising her and allowing her the time and space to create the content she wants so she, and other women, will feel empowered to have the conversations we once feared to have and confront society's demons.
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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