Russell Brand was found guilty of rape and sexual assault on Thursday. The conviction came at the end of a trial in which his defence argued that a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary in 2023 sparked a flood of false allegations and attacked the victims for only coming forward after it aired, despite some allegations first being reported years earlier.
In addition to previously reported allegations, many celebrities have also called out Brand and his behaviour, with their words coming long before the documentary and his conviction this week. Multiple have called the 51-year-old a "predator", "controlling" or recounted experiences where he made them uncomfortable.
Early Accusations from Dannii Minogue and Katy Perry
In 2006, after appearing on Brand's MTV chat show, singer Dannii Minogue spoke about him as a "vile predator". She said: "He is completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator. I certainly don't think he has cured his sex addiction, that's for sure. He wouldn't take no for an answer." Minogue added that throughout the interview, Brand made "shocking remarks" which she didn't want to repeat, adding: "Just uttering the words would make me blush."
Speaking with Vogue in 2013, Katy Perry, who had been married to Russell from 2010 to 2012, described him as "very controlling" and "really hurtful". She said: "He didn't like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour. So that was really hurtful, and it was very controlling, which was upsetting. I felt a lot of responsibility for it ending, but then I found out the real truth, which I can't necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day."
Comedians Speak Out
In 2023, Katherine Ryan was reported to have called Brand a "sexual predator" during the filming of Comedy Central's Roast Battle. Insiders told Deadline that she "turned the heat" on Brand, but her allegations were edited out of the broadcast. Without naming Brand, Ryan admitted to Louis Theroux that she called a person a "predator" in front of the audience. She said: "I, in front of loads of people, in the format of the show, said to this person's face that they are a predator."
Comedian Sean Lock, who died in 2021, called Brand out during a 2014 episode of 8 Out of 10 Cats. He said: "Probably the reason I hate him so much is because I'm a dad and I've got this fear that one day my daughters will bring something like that home."
Daniel Sloss was the only comedian to appear in the Dispatches documentary to talk about the comedy circuit and what was known about Brand. "From the second I started, he was a big name," he said. "If you were a comedian and you got to gig with him, that would make you a celebrity. There were many stories. It wasn't just coming from one person, it was coming from different people and groups of people." He added: "There are groups set up by female comedians to warn each other about people in the industry, and I know they have warned each other about Russell."
TV Presenters Recount Uncomfortable Encounters
Following the documentary, a number of celebrity women also spoke about their experiences with Brand. One of them was Lorraine Kelly. The TV star played a clip on her own show from when she appeared on The Graham Norton Show with Brand in 2007. The footage showed Brand touching her leg and saying: "Oh my god, you're wearing suspenders. I have been in other films but none of that matters now I know Lorraine Kelly is a s***."
Lorraine said, looking back, the clip left her feeling uncomfortable, acknowledging that while she and Brand were laughing at the time, she would now probably have said something. She continued: "It's an entertainment show. That was his shtick... That's what he was not just doing, but actively encouraged to do. It's not that long ago, not really." Kelly went on: "I do wonder if I would have put up with that now. I do wonder if we are in a different place now and if it even would have been aired."
Vanessa Feltz also spoke about an incident with Brand, following the documentary. She said she was left "horrified" during a TV interview from 2006 when he said he wanted to have sex with her and her two daughters, one of whom was 15 at the time. "I was deeply offended then, as I remain deeply offended now," Feltz said.
