Russell Brand blocked from making money on YouTube amid abuse allegations
YouTube has blocked the monetisation of Russell Brand's channel amid allegations of sexual abuse and rape, which the comedian denies.
YouTube has suspended the monetisation of Russell Brand's channel.
The company has confirmed the decision after ruling the 48-year-old comedian violated the platform's "Creator Responsibility policy" after allegations from six women ranging from rape and sexual abuse to emotional and physical abuse.
In a statement, YouTube said: "We have suspended monetisation on Russell Brand’s channel for violating our Creator Responsibility policy.
"If a creator’s off-platform behaviour harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community."
It's said his channel has been suspended from the YouTube Partner Program "following serious allegations".
The move means the channel is "no longer able to monetise on YouTube", while the decision applies to any channels which could be owned or operated by Brand.
In the platform's creator responsibility guidelines, it's stated that "if a creator’s off-platform behaviour harms users, employees, or ecosystem, the platform may take action to protect its community, including by suspending monetisation".
It continues: “When a creator is suspended from the YouTube partner programme, they are prohibited from using a new or alternate channel to circumvent our enforcement decision.”
Brand has been dropped by his talent agency, Tavistock Wood, and it is not yet clear if his long-term publicist is still representing the comic.
He has also had upcoming shows on his ‘Bipolarisation’ tour cancelled by the promoter that were set to go ahead this week.
Four women accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional and physical abuse between 2006 and 2013 as part of a joint investigation into the actor’s treatment of women by The Times and Sunday Times newspapers, as well as Channel 4’s ‘Dispatches’ programme.
A fifth accused him of abuse during their 2007 relationship in a memoir she published in 2014.
The Metropolitan Police said on Monday (18.09.23) they had received said a woman had contacted them on Sunday (17.09.23) saying she was sexually assaulted by the entertainer in Soho, central London, in 2003.
Brand denies all the accusations against him and has said any of his relationships have been “consensual”.
