Russell Brand has publicly acknowledged having what he described as “exploitative” sexual relationships during the height of his fame, including admitting to sleeping with a 16-year-old when he was 30 — while insisting he never broke the law and vigorously denying the criminal charges he faces.
The comedian, actor and podcaster, 50, made the admissions during an appearance on Megyn Kelly’s podcast, speaking candidly about his past conduct in the months before his rape and sexual assault trial is due to begin at Southwark Crown Court on 12 October. Brand, who denies all charges, faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault, relating to allegations made by six women covering a period from 1999 to 2009.
Addressing the relationship with the 16-year-old, Brand said: “In Europe and the United Kingdom, where I’m from, the age of consent is 16, and I did sleep with a 16-year-old when I was 30. When I was 30, I was a very different person. I was a lot younger, and I was an immature 30-year-old.” He went on to describe consensual sex involving a significant power imbalance as inherently exploitative, adding: “I recognise that my sexual conduct in the past was selfish and I did not apply enough consideration, barely any I suppose, really, to how that sex was affecting other people.”
Brand described his past self as among the “innocuous party boy-style exploiters of women,” acknowledging that fame and addiction had combined to give him what he called “opportunity for endless consent,” which he said led him to behave as “a hedonist and a fool and an exploiter of women.” He said this was “wrong” and something that needed to be “redeemed, addressed and atoned for.”
However, he drew a firm distinction between his own admission of moral failure and the criminal allegations he faces. “What I’m obviously not only querying, but violently or aggressively or assertively opposing, is the idea this is a judicial criminal matter where consent was overridden,” he said. “What fame and charisma afford you is the ability to direct consent. That doesn’t mean it’s right — it’s actually wrong, it’s a sin — but it is not the same as overriding consent.”
The trial, originally scheduled to begin on 16 June, was pushed back to October due to a shortage of jurors over the summer period. It is expected to run for approximately two months, during which Brand’s six accusers will give evidence and he will have the opportunity to testify in his own defence.
Among the allegations previously aired in court, Brand is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room during a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth in 1999, orally raping a television worker after dragging her into a male toilet in 2004, and groping a radio station employee after pushing her against a wall.
Brand, who rose to prominence as a stand-up comedian in the 1990s before presenting Big Brother spin-off programmes and starring in Hollywood films, was previously married to pop star Katy Perry. He is now married to Laura Gallacher, with whom he has three children. He currently lives in the United States and remains on bail while awaiting trial. He was seen arriving at a previous court hearing carrying a Bible, and when asked by reporters how he felt, replied simply: “Blessed.”
