A former girlfriend of Russell Brand has described in a new Netflix documentary how the jailed comedian made her brush her teeth until they bled, and has alleged he sexually assaulted her.
Brand, 51, was jailed for 10-and-a-half years on Monday (November 9) after a jury found him guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others following a four-week trial. He was also found not guilty of two counts of rape and one charge of attempted indecent assault. He previously denied wrongdoing and claimed all his relationships were consensual.
Documentary charts Brand's downfall
The film, Russell Brand: Open Secret, released by Netflix on Friday (November 13), uses insiders' voices and archive footage to examine the star's downfall. It also explores the Dispatches investigation for Channel 4 in September 2023, alongside The Times and Sunday Times, which led to the women coming forward to complain and ultimately the four convictions against Brand.
The documentary charts Brand's rise from TV presenter and comedian to Hollywood star in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Hop and the Despicable Me franchise. It also covers his marriage to singer Katy Perry and his later emergence as a "political activist and YouTuber known for spouting conspiracy theories" in the early 2020s, before following his criminal trial at Southwark Crown Court.
Former girlfriend's account
In the film, former girlfriend Jordan Martin is seen breaking down in tears as she recalls their relationship, which began in 2007 around the time he landed a role in the 2008 movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall. She said: "I'd given up on love, and Russell texted me. I thought he was funny. I wanted to hang out with him. He asked me to stay in his apartment and I was like, 'Why not? A bit of fun'."
She said the relationship began normally in the UK, but changed when she joined him during filming. Referring to their time in Hawaii, she added: "In Hawaii, he didn't feel comfortable with me sunbathing on the beach or even outside of the bungalow. He would say things like, 'Oh, you're dressing like an attention-seeking tart'. He said 'Oh, from now on, just wear black'."
Martin described feeling in "a constant state of confusion" and alleged that Brand had sex with a yoga teacher. She also claimed he broke her phone after she called another man to arrange to get her belongings back, and alleged he sexually assaulted her on another occasion when he was angry.
Alleged assault details
Martin said: "He wanted me to taste anonymous. He didn't want me to be familiar to him, and so he was asking me to brush my teeth, but it just was never enough. And so he's standing over me, and I'm brushing, and I'm brushing, and then I'm seeing my teeth bleeding, and the association with only it got more intense."
Speaking of the alleged assault, she added: "He asked me who I was on the phone to, and I told him I just need to get my bag back from, and so he snatched my phone out of my hand and, like, broke it apart into pieces. So I kind of snatched the phone back and went into like a separate room. I just was standing there just to have a moment, just to try and figure out, okay, what's going on, you know. And he walked in, he didn't say anything, he put his hand down the front of my jeans and he inserted a finger, and then walked away."
She said she did not report it at the time: "I didn't report it in any way. I didn't share it with anybody. I look at myself back then, and I feel sorry for myself. Not in a bad or pitying way. I just feel like it wasn't very fair, you know."
The documentary also features Amanda Alguero Alejos, one of Brand's first girlfriends, who described how he changed when he began doing stand-up comedy and had female fans. She said: "We fell in love, it was my first love. I was so nervous. We did everything together, we went to Paris, Bali, he used to write for me poetry. We talk about a big house and a big family."
She spoke of his drug use increasing: "He used to take drugs like a recreation, smoking joints, but he always is looking for something more. He was taking a lot of drugs, cocaine and heroin." She added: "He admitted that he had a sex addiction. I used to be in love with this guy and he's totally different. I felt something dark he had inside and I left forever."
Russell Brand: Open Secret is available to stream on Netflix.
