On his BBC Radio 2 show in 2007, Russell Brand described his “policy” toward women by listing age, race and whether they were awake as things he wouldn’t get “bogged down” in.
“That’s the policy I use for women. Hello, there’s a woman, let’s not get bogged down in things like age, race, or whether or not they’re awake. Just get over there and give them the night of their lives,” Brand said.
Channel 4 Dispatches shared the recording in September 2023, after its joint investigation with The Times brought forward allegations of rape, sexual assault, controlling behavior and emotional abuse. Among the women was someone who said she was 16 at the time of her alleged experience with Brand.
The BBC removed Brand’s content from its streaming services and said it was “urgently looking into the issues raised.” It also pointed to its workplace conduct requirements, employment contracts and anti-bullying and harassment policies.
Matthew Morgan, Brand’s co-host on the radio show, said he’d stopped working with him several years earlier and hadn’t known of any allegations of serious sexual misconduct during their time together. “I absolutely condemn all forms of mistreatment of women,” Morgan said. He also expressed regret on learning that the show had sometimes made colleagues uncomfortable.
Brand called the allegations false in 2023 and described them as a “coordinated attack.” On November 5, 2026, a jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court convicted him of rape and 3 sexual assaults.
His sentencing is scheduled for November 9.