A resurfaced clip shows Russell Brand joking about consent at a Republican event in the US, just weeks before he was convicted of rape. The disgraced comedian and actor made the remark while speaking at the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) summit, where he criticised vaccine mandates, junk food and pharmaceutical companies.
Brand appeared alongside TV presenter and physician Dr Oz, who has been the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services since 2025. In the clip, Dr Oz said: "Russell Brand was backstage hugging the secretary of agriculture. But here he is. Took MAHA to a whole new level." Brand responded: "She initiated that contact, I shall make clear, doctor."
MAHA Action call and support
Brand also appeared as a featured speaker on a video call for MAHA Action, run by Tony Lyons, who has close ties to US Health Secretary RFK Jr. Lyons was on the call in October, just weeks before Brand's conviction, and told the former comedian that "we will stand up for you every week, week after week".
Lyons also urged people to buy Brand's book before accompanying him as he left court during his first week on trial, according to video captured by Reuters. Brand thanked Lyons for his support during the call: "Even in a time of great adversity, knowing that I have your support, Tony, has been incredibly valuable. This is a really important time for your country, a really important time for your movement in particular."
Further allegations and sentencing
Further criminal allegations against Brand have been made to police since the beginning of his trial. The Metropolitan Police said several people have been in contact during and since the conclusion of the 51-year-old's rape and sexual assault case. The force said those who have been in contact have either provided further information or reported potential criminal allegations. Detectives are assessing the information as part of ongoing inquiries.
Brand was sent to HMP Wandsworth after being convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults, with his sentencing judge handing him a 10-and-a-half-year jail term on Monday. He has since been accused of further violence by his former partner Jemima Goldsmith, who shared a post on X hours after his sentencing hearing claiming she had to call the police to have him removed from her house during a "violent incident".
Ms Goldsmith, who reportedly dated Brand for a year in 2014, wrote she has her own experience of his "violence, coercive control and abuse", and has neither seen nor spoken to the convicted rapist since that period. Brand was convicted last week of raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three TV and radio workers during his rise to international fame.
