Russell Brand’s Instagram wiped after rape conviction – but mystery ‘stay tuned’ message appears online while he’s behind bars
Meta has disabled the disgraced comedian’s profile under its account integrity rules, while an unidentified person continues posting on his X account following his 10-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
Russell Brand has been removed from Instagram following his conviction for rape and sexual assault – but messages are still appearing on his X account despite the disgraced comedian serving a 10-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
The former television presenter, 51, had his Instagram profile disabled by Meta days after being jailed at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday 9 November.
Brand was convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others between 2004 and 2009, with the social media company confirming that his account had breached its policies.
His X profile, however, remains active, and an unidentified person has posted a response to the ban.
The message posted on Brand’s X account said: “There never was a Russell Brand, according to @Meta.”
It continued: “Thank God for @elonmusk.”
The post ended with the words: “Stay tuned.”
Screenshots accompanying the message showed notifications from Meta informing the account holder that the Instagram profile had been disabled for breaching the platform’s community standards.
The person responsible for publishing the message has not been identified, and there is no confirmation Brand personally authorised it from prison.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed the removal to TMZ, saying the account “violates our policies”.
According to the publication, the decision was made under Meta’s Account Integrity policy, which allows the company to restrict or disable accounts that “engage in off-platform activity that can lead to harm”.
The policy includes provisions relating to accounts belonging to convicted sex offenders.
Brand’s X account, which has more than 10 million followers, remained accessible after the Instagram removal.
The platform is owned by Elon Musk, 55, who has previously publicly supported the comedian.
The Instagram decision follows Brand’s conviction on 5 November after a four-week trial involving allegations made by several women about incidents during the height of his entertainment career.
The jury found him guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
He was acquitted of two further rape charges and one charge of attempted indecent assault.
At his sentencing hearing, Mr Justice Joel Bennathan addressed Brand directly about his behaviour during the period when he was becoming a prominent television and radio personality.
The judge said: “About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous.”
He continued: “You were clever – and in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic.”
The judge added: “You had also become a sexual predator.”
The court heard Brand had raped a woman after meeting her at a stand-up performance in 2009, while the sexual assault convictions related to separate incidents involving women who encountered him through his work and social life.
His offences included assaults involving women working in television and radio, as well as an incident at a Soho bar.
Brand denied the charges throughout the proceedings and maintained his sexual encounters had been consensual.
The former Big Brother’s Big Mouth presenter rose to prominence through his provocative stand-up performances and television appearances before establishing a Hollywood career.
His film credits include Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek and Arthur, while he also hosted radio programmes for the BBC and worked for MTV.
In recent years, Brand moved away from mainstream entertainment and developed a large online following through videos discussing politics, religion and conspiracy theories.
He subsequently embraced Christianity, sharing religious content with his followers and appearing in court carrying a Bible during his trial.
His conviction has also prompted renewed attention to further allegations being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.
Detectives have confirmed Brand remains under investigation over two additional allegations of rape, including one involving a complainant who was 16 at the time of the alleged incident.
Those allegations have not resulted in convictions, and prosecutors are assessing information gathered during the continuing investigation.
Police have also said additional people contacted officers during and after the trial, either providing information or reporting potential criminal offences.
