LONDON – YouTube stated Tuesday that Russell Brand will now not make money from the video streaming site after a number of ladies made allegations of sexual assault towards the comedian-turned-influencer.
YouTube stated monetization of Brand’s account, which has 6.6 million subscribers, has been suspended “following serious allegations against the creator.”
“This choice applies to all channels that can be owned or operated by means of Russell Brand,” the Google-owned video service said.
Brand, 48, denies allegations of sexual assault made by four women in a Channel 4 television documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. The accusers, who have not been named, include one who said she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.
The four allegations date from between 2006 and 2013. London’s Metropolitan Police force said that since those claims were made public it had received a report of a separate sexual assault dating from 2003.
Promoters postponed the remaining dates in a string of live gigs by Brand, who denies the allegations.
Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, Brand was a major U.K. star in the early 2000s. He hosted shows on radio and television, wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.
In recent years Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. His YouTube channel, which has more than 6 million subscribers, has featured COVID-19 conspiracy theories, vaccine misinformation and interviews with controversial broadcasters including Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.
He additionally has endured to excursion as a comic, acting to masses of folks in a London venue on Saturday. He were because of carry out Tuesday in Windsor, west of London, however promoters stated the remainder of the excursion used to be being postponed.