Russell Brand's publishing deal with Pan Macmillan imprint Bluebird has been put on pause following the multiple sexual assault allegations that came to light over the weekend.
UPDATE (9/18, 12 p.m. ET): Brand's upcoming tour has also been postponed. "We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows, we don't like doing it — but we know you'll understand," reads a statement from the Bipolarisation tour promoters [via Deadline].
In a joint investigation by British newspapers The Times and The Sunday Times, as well as Channel 4's Dispatches documentarians, the actor/comedian was accused of sexually assaulting four women — one of whom was reportedly 16 years old at the time — in incidents that allegedly took place between 2006 and 2013. (Brand was married to pop singer Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012.)
"These are very serious allegations and in the light of them, Bluebird has taken the decision to pause all future publishing with Russell Brand," a representative for Bluebird said in a statement to The Bookseller. Under his deal with the publisher, Brand put out Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions and was slated to publish a new version of the book next May.
The following article contains potentially triggering material relating to sexual misconduct. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and are looking for support, consult the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime to find resources in your area.
The exposé paints the greasy Forgetting Sarah Marshall star as having hidden in plain sight, with additional industry sources accusing Brand of controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour.
A runner claimed that he once "flashed his penis" when she entered his dressing room and "insinuated that she could give him oral sex," while a former personal assistant claimed to have witnessed the comedian showing "intimate pictures of women" — including a woman she knew — to his friends. Comedian Daniel Sloss claimed that women in his field had been "warning each other about Russell" for years.
One of Brand's alleged sexual assault victims claimed that she was raped in his Los Angeles home in 2012, while another alleged that he assaulted her at his West Hollywood residence in 2013 and threatened to take legal action if she came forward.
The then-16-year-old accuser described her three-month relationship with Brand, who was in his 30s at the time, as "emotionally and sexually abusive." She claimed that, in one instance, he "forced his penis down her throat," which made her choke. He also allegedly removed a condom during sex without her knowledge, nicknamed her "the child" and forced her to read passages from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita to him.
Brand has denied the allegations in a YouTube video posted pre-emptively, which you can watch below, claiming that all of the relationships were consensual. After providing his lawyer with the allegations, The Sunday Times reported that they said they were "not in a position" to respond and claimed that further attempts to communicate went unanswered.
UPDATE (9/18, 12 p.m. ET): Brand's upcoming tour has also been postponed. "We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows, we don't like doing it — but we know you'll understand," reads a statement from the Bipolarisation tour promoters [via Deadline].
In a joint investigation by British newspapers The Times and The Sunday Times, as well as Channel 4's Dispatches documentarians, the actor/comedian was accused of sexually assaulting four women — one of whom was reportedly 16 years old at the time — in incidents that allegedly took place between 2006 and 2013. (Brand was married to pop singer Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012.)
"These are very serious allegations and in the light of them, Bluebird has taken the decision to pause all future publishing with Russell Brand," a representative for Bluebird said in a statement to The Bookseller. Under his deal with the publisher, Brand put out Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions and was slated to publish a new version of the book next May.
The following article contains potentially triggering material relating to sexual misconduct. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and are looking for support, consult the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime to find resources in your area.
The exposé paints the greasy Forgetting Sarah Marshall star as having hidden in plain sight, with additional industry sources accusing Brand of controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour.
A runner claimed that he once "flashed his penis" when she entered his dressing room and "insinuated that she could give him oral sex," while a former personal assistant claimed to have witnessed the comedian showing "intimate pictures of women" — including a woman she knew — to his friends. Comedian Daniel Sloss claimed that women in his field had been "warning each other about Russell" for years.
One of Brand's alleged sexual assault victims claimed that she was raped in his Los Angeles home in 2012, while another alleged that he assaulted her at his West Hollywood residence in 2013 and threatened to take legal action if she came forward.
The then-16-year-old accuser described her three-month relationship with Brand, who was in his 30s at the time, as "emotionally and sexually abusive." She claimed that, in one instance, he "forced his penis down her throat," which made her choke. He also allegedly removed a condom during sex without her knowledge, nicknamed her "the child" and forced her to read passages from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita to him.
Brand has denied the allegations in a YouTube video posted pre-emptively, which you can watch below, claiming that all of the relationships were consensual. After providing his lawyer with the allegations, The Sunday Times reported that they said they were "not in a position" to respond and claimed that further attempts to communicate went unanswered.