Television executives are allegedly considering removing all female staff from the Russell Brand-led show rather than the British comic itself, fearing they will be “assaulted or harassed.”
The shocking allegations come as four women accuse Brand, 48, of raping and sexually abusing them during the height of his fame between 2006 and 2013, according to a joint investigation published Saturday by the Times of London and Channel 4 Dispatches.
A woman identified in the bombshell report as “Alice,” claimed that Brand dressed and sexually abused her when she was 16 years old.
Alice, who later worked at Channel 4, recalled a work meeting where Brand was proposed to host a television show, but concerns about his behavior were raised.
During the meeting, either in late 2013 or early 2014, television executives suggested removing the female staff from the show instead of problematic comics, the woman reportedly recalled.
Four women have accused the British actor and comedian of raping and sexually abusing them during the height of his career from 2006 to 2013. GC Images
“The solution being offered is that we will remove female staff from the crew — women who have worked so hard to get into the industry — now cannot work on certain shows for fear that they may be assaulted or harassed. I don’t believe it,” he said, according to the report.
When Alice met Brand in 2006, he was well known as the host of Channel 4’s “Big Brother’s Big Mouth” and as a BBC radio presenter.
The 31-year-old called the teenager a “child” and attacked her during their three-month “emotionally abusive and controlling” relationship, she said. The age of consent is 16 in the UK.
One of Brand’s accusers, who was 16 when they were in a relationship, later worked for Channel 4 and said Brand’s behavior was still worrying years later. AP
Despite Brand’s alleged nefarious behavior being an “open secret” in the entertainment industry, he continues to be given opportunities by UK broadcasters, including Channel 4. In 2019, he appeared on the channel’s celebrity edition of “Bake Off” and baked cookies inspired by his wife Laura’s penis Gallagher.
Days after the revelations were published, Brand took to the stage at Wembley Park London’s Troubabour Theater on Saturday, the latest stop on his stand-up comedy tour.
“I have many things to talk to you about. Obviously there are some things I can’t talk about and I appreciate you will understand,” he told the sold-out crowd, according to The Independent.
Despite the allegations, Brand still appeared on stage at his sold-out show Saturday night. Reuters
Her performance came as police in England urged other potential victims of sexual assault to come forward, and Tavistock Wood’s agent fired her, the outlet reported.
Wood learned of Alice’s allegations three years ago, but continued to represent Brand until the bombshell report was released. The agent claims he was “terribly confused” by the comic, Deadline reported.
Brand denied the alarming claims in an online video released Saturday before the report was published.
“Amid this shocking, somewhat baroque attack, there are some very serious allegations that I absolutely deny,” he said, adding that the allegations stemmed from a time when he was “very, very promiscuous,” which he said he wrote “about -count extensively. in my book.”
“Now at the time of that association, the relationship I had was really, really like each other.”
In response to the report, a Channel 4 spokesperson said they were “determined to fully understand what happened.”
Brand released a video on Saturday ahead of the bombshell report to deny his claims. Youtube
“We have conducted an extensive search of documents and have found no evidence to suggest that the alleged incident was brought to the attention of Channel 4.
“We will continue to review this matter based on any further information we receive, including the individual accounts affected. We will ask the production company that produced the program [sic] for Channel 4 to investigate these allegations and report their findings correctly and satisfactorily to us,” the spokesperson continued.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
