YouTube announced on Tuesday that Russell Brand will no longer make money from the video streaming site after multiple women came forward with sexual assault allegations against the comedian-turned-influencer.
YouTube announced that the monetization of the brand’s account, which has 6.6 million subscribers, has been suspended “following serious allegations against the creator.”
“This decision applies to all channels owned or operated by Russell Brands,” the Google-owned video service said.
The suspension means brands will no longer be able to earn money from ads that run in or alongside YouTube videos with titles like “What was the real cause of the Hawaii fires?” . And “Coronavirus czar admits lockdown was never due to science.”
Other channels associated with the brand’s main YouTube page include “Awakening With Russell” with 426,000 subscribers, “Football Is Nice” with approximately 20,000 subscribers and “Stay Free With Russell” with 22,200 subscribers. Brand” etc.
Brand still has a presence on Rumble, a video site popular with some conservative and far-right groups, where his channel has 1.4 million followers.
He also has 11.2 million followers on X (formerly known as Twitter) and 3.8 million followers on Instagram.
Brand, 48, denied sexual assault allegations by four women in a Channel 4 TV documentary and in The Times and Sunday Times newspapers.
The accusers, whose names have not been released, include a woman who claims she was sexually assaulted when she was 16 years old while dating Brando. Another woman claims Brando raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.
The four charges date from 2006 to 2013, and the Metropolitan Police said it had received a report of another sexual assault dating back to 2003 since those charges were made public.
Known for his free-spirited and racy stand-up routines, Brando was a huge British star in the early 2000s.
He hosted shows on radio and television, wrote a memoir chronicling his struggles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood films, and briefly dated pop star Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012. I got married for a while.
Although the brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media in recent years, it has built a large following online with videos that mix health and conspiracy theories.
His YouTube channel has featured COVID-19 conspiracy theories, vaccine misinformation, and interviews with controversial broadcasters such as Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.
He also continues to tour as a comedian, performing in front of hundreds of people at a London venue on Saturday.
He was due to perform in Windsor, west London, on Tuesday, but promoters said the rest of his tour would be postponed following the allegations.
Brando has also been removed from his talent agency and publishing company since the allegations became public.
Ellie Thomsett, senior lecturer in media and communications at Birmingham City University, said it was too early to tell whether the allegations would spell the end of Brand’s comedy career.
“I think there’s definitely a market for ‘outsider’ comedians…or people who want to position themselves as an alternative or an alternative to our current understanding of gender equality,” she said.
“And in the long run, will it affect his career in the way we expect?” Probably not. ”
