Russell brand leaves the Troubabour Wembley Park Theatre in north-west London on Saturday, September 16, 2023 after performing a comedic set. He has vehemently denied the allegations. He has vehemently denied the allegations.
James Manning – Pa Images | Pa Images | Getty Images
YouTube said Tuesday it had suspended monetization on the channel of actor and comedian Russell Brand, who faces multiple allegations of sexual assault.
This prevents playing advertisements alongside his videos, which usually generate money for the content creator in proportion to their view count.
Brand, who has predominantly exited mainstream media to become an internet commentator in recent years, has 6.61 million subscribers on his main YouTube channel.
All channels owned or operated by Brand were suspended from the YouTube Partner Program following “serious allegations against the creator,” a spokesperson said. His other smaller channels include Football is Nice, Awakening With Russell and Stay Free With Russell Brand.
Brand has strongly denied all accusations of illegality and said that all his relationships during the period of alleged assaults were consensual.
YouTube said the demonetization was due to violation of its “Creator Responsibility policy. “
“If a creator’s off-platform behaviour harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action,” the YouTube spokesperson said.
The company said the action was “rare” but consistent with previous applications of the policy, including the suspension of adverts from the channels of influencers David Dobrik and James Charles.
YouTube creators continue to be able to make money through sponsorship deals with outside parties.
Brand has 3.8 million subscribers on Instagram, 11.2 million followers on X — formerly known as Twitter — and 1.4 million followers on Rumble.
A joint investigation by the U.K.’s Channel 4 and the Sunday Times newspaper, released in print and in a television documentary over the weekend, contained the accounts of four women who allege misconduct by the star.
One said Brand raped her in his Los Angeles home. The second woman claimed that he had abused her emotionally and controlled her during a romantic relationship between him and a 16-year-old girl. Two more women alleged sexual assault on two separate occassions.
CNBC has not independently confirmed any of the allegations against Brand.
Brand was privately presented with the allegations by Channel 4 and Sunday Times investigation for comment ahead of publication. Brand said in a video he posted before the allegations were made public by news organizations that “the relationships I had were always consensual.” I was very transparent then, almost to the point of being too transparent. I am still transparent now. CNBC has contacted Brand and is waiting for a response.
London Metropolitan Police confirmed Monday that they were aware of the allegations and had received on Sunday a report of a sexual attack in Soho, central London, in 2003. “
We spoke to the Sunday Times first on Saturday 16th September, and we have made subsequent approaches to Channel 4 and the Sunday Times to ensure that anyone believing they have been victimized by a sexual offense is aware of the best way to report it to the police,” said a Metropolitan Police spokesperson.