YouTube has demonetized Russell Brand's channel following allegations that the British comedian raped one woman and sexually assaulted three others between 2006 and 2013 - allegations which remained un-alleged for a decade, until Brand appeared on Tucker Carlson's show six weeks ago.
In a video released before the Sunday Times published the allegations, Brand, 48, denied "serious criminal allegations" and said that while he has a history of promiscuity, all of his relationships "were absolutely, always consensual."
According to YouTube, it stopped monetizing Brand's channel because he violated their "creator responsibility policy."
"If a creator’s off-platform behaviour harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community," a YouTube spokesperson told Deadline.
His content will remain on YouTube, but he will no longer be able to make money from the videos, which lean heavily into internet conspiracies about politics, Covid, and UFOs.
Sara McCorquodale, chief executive of social media analysis agency CORQ, told The Guardian that Brand makes an estimated £2,000 ($2,500) to £4,000 per video, which would equate to up to £1M a year if he published five a week. -Deadline
Brand's channel has 6.6M subscribers. According to tech journalist Chris Stokel-Walker, Brand could make up to $1M per year from his YouTube videos.
The Metropolitan Police said on Monday that they had received a "report of sexual assault" in 2003 against Brand. His accuser alleges she was assaulted in Soho, London.
Meanwhile, the BBC has announced it's launched an investigation into Brand.
"We've reviewed that content and made a considered decision to remove some of it, having assessed that it now falls below public expectations," a spokesperson said.
Brand rose to fame in the early 2000s as a stand-up comedian and a host of shows, before moving on to Hollywood.
The curious timing of Brand's #MeToo claims as his star rises on the right has led to a robust defense of the Brit.
Name any topic in the news that got more investigative energy from the press than Russell Brand's sex life.
— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) September 19, 2023
Meanwhile, here are a few things they missed. pic.twitter.com/G7SQwhVPvp
Russell Brand, a person I consider a friend, has been accused of rape, sexual assault, and abuse between 2006 to 2013 in a supposed "exposé" from the Sunday Times in the U.K.. I didn't know Russell during that time, but the media did. They knew that Russell Brand was not only… pic.twitter.com/4zqSpJzaBP
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 18, 2023
If Russell Brand had just made the requisite celebrity pilgrimage to Zelensky and kept his mouth shut about the Covidians he would have dodged this bullet. Whatever the merits of the allegations might be, this much is obvious. pic.twitter.com/N9c3C080HE
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) September 18, 2023
Russell Brand dropped some facts on Bill Maher’s show about big pharma, the military industrial complex, and the banking industry. Was this when they decided he needed to be taken down? pic.twitter.com/QsovCc4T0c
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) September 17, 2023
Many may not remember this. Julian Assange was suddenly accused of rape after he began exposing government abuse of power, fraud and corruption via Wikileaks. One woman said she was 'half asleep.' Just like Russell Brand, the corrupt media convicted him before any court hearing.… pic.twitter.com/KfnZBplqcS
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) September 18, 2023
