Russell Brand's celeb pals who have remained silent and those who defended him
Celebrities have been reacting to the allegations made against Russell Brand, which he strongly denies, in different ways over recent days.
In an explosive Channel 4 Dispatches documentary Russell Brand: In Plain Sight, which was made in conjunction with The Times and Sunday Times and aired on Saturday night, Brand, 48, was accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse - which the comedian vehemently denies.
Some stars close to Brand have shared passionate messages of support for the dad-of-two following the allegations being made public, with others who have previously worked or spent time with Brand opting to remain publicly silent on the claims made in the Channel 4 programme.
Jonathan Ross
Brand and Ross in the Radio 2 studios after leaving the offensive voicemail (BBC)Jonathan Ross hasn't yet publicly discussed the allegations against Brand but has found his name brought up several times in report over recent days, due to his involvement in the 'Sachsgate' scandal.
Brand and Ross caused a furious backlash after calling the late Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs during a pre-recorded Radio 2 show in 2008 and leaving a voicemail detailing Brand's sexual encounters with his granddaughter, Georgina Baillie. Sachs had been asked by a BBC Radio show producer if he wanted to be interviewed for a pre-recorded part of the show, but he was too busy.
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At the time of their romantic relationship, Ms Baillie was 20 and Brand was 30. Brand was sacked from his BBC Radio 2 show as complaints flooded in following the pre-recorded interview with talk show host Ross, 62. Speaking about the scandal in 2014, Sachs said of Brand and Ross: "Their lewd banter was deeply hurtful for me, my wife, our daughter and our granddaughter. It not only caused pain but huge stress to the family."
Noel Fielding
Like Ross, Noel Fielding hasn't publicly addressed the allegations made against Brand but also found his past media appearances with the comedian revisited since Dispatches aired over the weekend.
The Great British Bake Off host, 50, has worked with Brand several times over the years, including stints together on The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, where the two comedians teamed up under the name The Goth Detectives and delighted viewers at the time with their banter on the show.
However, some of their jokes from past editions of the Channel 4 show have attracted criticism since allegations against Brand emerged. During the 2004 instalment of the comedy show, Brand and Fielding appeared alongside Ross, host Jimmy Carr and singer Lily Allen.
(Channel 4)As Ross switched seats with his teammate Allen to distance her from Brand and Fielding, he joked how he hoped the pop star "might go home with her dress still on." Immediately, The Mighty Boosh star Fielding jumped in to say: "How dare you we're not rapists." Carr then asked why the comedian was wearing a cape if he wasn't a rapist. Fielding continued to say that he's wearing a Jack The Ripper cape and claimed he wasn't a rapist, prompting Brand to jump in to complete the sentence by saying: "serial murderer."
Brand continued to say that there was no direct link between rape and cape. He added: "It's just a rhyme, leave him alone. What if horrors of horrors, he hasn't even done a rape you could ruin his reputation." He then asked Fielding: "Have you done a rape?" Fielding responded by standing up, whisking the cape over his face and saying: "Well, if I have, I'd be leaving the scene of the crime like this."
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is facing questions regarding his support of Brand on Twitter, the social media platform now called X by its billionaire owner Musk.
Musk replied to Brand's video denial on Friday, in which the comedian vehemently denied "very serious allegations" made against him and claimed all of his sexual relationships have been "consensual" ahead of Channel 4 airing its Dispatches investigation on Saturday night. Brand went on in the video to suggest the allegations made against him are part of a "coordinated media attack". Replying to Brand's video on Twitter, Musk wrote: "Of course. They don’t like competition."
Culture, Media and Sport Committee chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage has since asked Musk if he has "has personally intervened in any decisions on Russell Brand’s status on the platform". Following Dispatches Russell Brand: In Plain Sight airing over the weekend, YouTube has demonetised Brand's account and the BBC and Channel 4 have both removed content featuring the comedian.
Piers Morgan
Former Good Morning Britain anchor Piers Morgan is one male celebrity who has directly and publicly spoken about the allegations levelled against Brand.
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On Sunday, following Dispatches airing on Channel 4 the night before, Morgan took to Twitter and told his followers: "The allegations against Russell Brand are horrifying, & the investigative reporting behind them exemplary. BUT he’s denied them & language being used on here - his accusers being labelled ‘victims’ or ‘survivors’ etc - infers guilt + criminality. He's entitled to due process."
Speaking on his TalkTV show on Monday, Morgan stated: "I’ve known Russell Brand, 20 years, probably. I’ve interviewed him for my Life Stories show, I’ve interviewed him for GQ, many, many times. I was actually texting with him a few weeks ago about potentially doing an interview. I’ve known him a long time, so I was shocked when I read this."
He went on to add: "I do think there’s a real danger, we saw it with Cliff Richard, we saw it with a young man I interviewed a few months ago who was a victim of a total fantasist who ended up doing two months on remand… I’m not saying that’s the case here, they might all be absolutely telling the truth. It’s certainly very compelling and convincing, but they remain allegations and he’s entitled to defend himself."
Danniella Westbrook
Former EastEnders actress Danniella Westbrook launched a passionate defence of Brand over the weekend as she commented on his video denial of the allegations against him.
Westbrook, who like Brand has battled addiction issues, commented on the comedian's video shared on Instagram, penning: "It's disgusting what's being said about you. Never in my life have I met a more helpful, kind and funny person. Because you speak the truth and question agendas of certain things it doesn't make you a target to be lied about. Wishing you the best, we all know its lies. Sending love always mate xx".
Bev Turner
Beverley Turner's passionate support of Brand prior to Dispatches even airing on Saturday caused the former This Morning contributor to clash with Gb News co-star Andrew Pierce live on-air.
On Monday, presenter Turner was slammed by Pierce for tweeting in support of the comedian. After the allegations came to light, Turner claimed Brand was being "attacked" by "establishment media" in a post shared on Twitter. She wrote: "You are being attacked @rustyrockets."
GB News star branded 'shameful' by co-host over Russell Brand remarks in furious TV row (PA)During the heated GB News broadcast, Pierce called out her "shameful" social media post and the two got into a heated debate over the tweet. He asked: "Don’t you think before you say he is a hero you should establish whether these very serious allegations are true?"
Taking to Twitter (AKA X) on Monday night, Turner told her followers: "I didn't know that my co-host was going to do this today. I knew we'd be discussing this topic of #RussellBrand of course, but I wasn't prepared for the personal onslaught which is why I look caught off-guard."
Pierce refuted Turner’s claims, quote-tweeting her post and adding: "I’m afraid this is just not true. @bevturner was told in explicit terms I would challenge on air her deeply offensive defence of #russellbrand who she describes as her ‘hero’. I’ve been overwhelmed with supportive messages for calling her out."
Fearne Cotton
Fearne has unfollowed Russell Brand (Dave Benett/Getty Images)Fearne Cotton hasn't spoken publicly regarding the allegations against Brand but the star's Instagram account is no longer following Brand's profile following allegations of sexual abuse being made against the comedian, which he strongly denies.
The former Radio 1 DJ, 42, has previously interviewed Brand on her popular podcast Happy Place and the dad-of-two also appeared as a guest speaker at one of her wellness festivals in 2019, but episodes featuring Brand have disappeared from Cotton's podcast streams over recent days.
Cotton, who is friends with Brand's pregnant wife Laura, hasn't yet spoken publicly regarding the allegations made against Brand. The mum-of-two, appeared on Brand’s Under The Skin podcast back in 2020, discussing her experiences with fame and mental health. The episode is still available to stream on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
In 2016, Cotton revealed she was supporting Brand's wife Laura and offering her advice ahead of Laura giving birth to her first child with the comic. Speaking to the Mirror at the Pride of Britain Awards, the podcast guru said: "She's my best mate.. we've been chatting a lot about motherhood, but she's super ready for it. She's really calm and such an amazing, amazing human being."
* 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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