Russell Brand postpones live tour dates following sexual assault allegations

Several women have come forward accusing the comedian of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse

Russell Brand’s remaining live shows on his Bipolarisation tour have been postponed following allegations of sexual assault against the comedian.

Over the weekend, a joint investigation between Channel 4’s Dispatches, The Times and The Sunday Times revealed accusations from four women alleging Brand, 48, subjected them to sexual abuse, rape and emotional abuse on occasions between 2006 and 2013.

He has since vehemently denied these “very serious allegations”. The outlets have since reported that several more women have come forward with similar allegations, which are now being “rigorously checked”.

In light of these accusations, the final shows for Brand’s Bipolarisation tour have been postponed.

“We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows, we don’t like doing it – but we know you’ll understand,” the tour’s promoters announced in a one-line statement.

Brand was scheduled to perform on Tuesday (19 September) at the Theatre Royal Windsor, with later dates in Wolverhampton and Plymouth.

The Theatre Royal said it will be “offering ticket refunds in line with our Terms & Conditions of sale”.

Russell Brand (PA)

The cancellation of the rest of his live shows comes as the Metropolitan police confirmed that officers are “in contact with” a woman who, on Sunday (17 September), made a report to the force about an alleged sexual assault that happened in Soho in 2003.

Brand’s publishing deal with Pan Macmillan’s imprint Bluebird has also been suspended.

Channel 4, meanwhile, has removed a number of TV episodes in which he starred, including a 2019 episode of The Great Celebrity Bake Off and the Big Brother box sets that he appeared on.

The programme has said that it is launching an internal enquiry into Brand’s alleged behaviour, encouraging “anyone who is aware of such behaviour to contact us directly”.

In his YouTube video, posted on Friday (15 September) ahead of the report and Dispatches documentary, Brand said that he was “very promiscuous” at the time of the alleged incidents, but claimed that “the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual”.

Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.

If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)