Jo Whiley has become the latest celebrity to speak out about an uncomfortable encounter with Russell Brand, revealing that a message she received from the disgraced comedian and actor still makes her "shudder".
Brand was sentenced this week to more than 10 years in prison after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault. The allegations first came to light in a 2023 documentary, and since the trial and sentencing, clips of his previous behaviour have been circulating online.
Message in a Show Book
The 61-year-old DJ and radio host revealed on her podcast, Dig It, that Brand left her a written message after she interviewed him. She explained to her co-host Zoe Ball: "I've got a show book; people sign my book when they come on the show.
"I've got a signature from Russell, and it just refers to me as a MILF. I keep looking at the bookshelf; it's like it's burning a hole in my bookshelf at the moment.
"I'm going to have to tear the page out and burn it; I really am. It just makes me shudder. It makes me shudder." The acronym MILF stands for Mother I'd Like to F**k.
Sentencing Details
Handing down his sentence this week, Mr Justice Bennathan described Brand as a "sexual predator". Brand was found guilty last Thursday of raping a woman in 2009 and sexually assaulting three female TV and radio workers between 2004 and 2009.
He was sentenced to nine years for raping a 21-year-old fan he met after one of his Hammersmith Apollo shows in 2009, nine months for sexually assaulting a woman at a bar in London in 2004, 18 months for sexually assaulting a woman at the Choice FM studios in London in 2005, and eight months for sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker in 2009.
In his sentencing, the judge said Brand had told a "series of lies" and exhibited "staggering arrogance". He told Brand: "Your status protected you until 2023, when journalists collected and published the allegations that were broadcast as a Channel 4 documentary and in articles in The Times newspaper.
"Those public declarations that you were a sex offender empowered a number of women to come forward and tell their stories of your activities many years before. I now have to sentence you for the crimes you committed against four women between 2004 and 2009."
Previous Allegations
A number of celebrities have previously called out Russell Brand's behaviour. It emerged in 2023 that Brand was dropped from the Comedy Central series Roast Battle after co-star Katherine Ryan accused him of being a "sexual predator" during recording. Sources close to the production told Deadline that Ryan "turned the heat" on Brand, although the interaction did not make the final edit.
