Russell Brand's stand-up special Rebirth remains available on Netflix despite his recent conviction for rape and sexual assault. The streaming service has kept the comedy show on its platform but has stopped actively recommending or promoting it to customers.
The 2018 performance, filmed at Hackney Empire, focuses on Brand's life after the birth of his first child and opens with politicians including David Cameron and Ed Miliband commenting on him.
Content of the special
In the show, Brand makes references to his penis after getting married, clutching his crotch and saying: "He's gone from chairman of the board to tea lady overnight."
He later jokes: "I've hardly been conservative with sperm. Giving the stuff away like sticky confetti. The real miracle is that one of them's been allowed to germinate instead of being squandered in a stranger's eyelashes."
Netflix's position
The Telegraph reports that the title will "no longer be automatically recommended or actively promoted to subscribers" but will still remain available for streaming.
A Netflix source told the newspaper: "We prioritise choice and control for our members: the freedom to watch what, how and when you want, with recommendations and ratings to inform those choices."
Sentencing and other edits
Brand, 51, was sentenced earlier this week to a total of 10 years and six months in jail for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. He was told he will be on the sex offenders register for life and must serve at least seven years of his sentence behind bars before being considered for release on license, while his wife watched on in court.
Judge Mr Justice Joel Bennathan sentenced Brand for the rape of a fan and sex assaults on three women, including a woman in a Soho bar, as well as a radio worker and a Channel 4 staffer, who were both abused by him while at work.
Elsewhere, the BBC has edited out a joke about Russell Brand that appeared on Gavin & Stacey from a festive episode of the comedy series. In the episode, Nessa returns to the Christmas dinner table after reading part of the disgraced comedian's autobiography to Neil the Baby. She says: "I had to read to him to get him off. No. Russell Brand: My Booky Wook. He's loving every word." That part of the dialogue remains in the iPlayer edition, but the original exchange where Nessa told Stacey she didn't get a mention in the memoir has been removed. Instead, the conversation moves quickly on to Nessa complimenting Pam's Christmas turkey. The Mirror has contacted Netflix for comment.
