Elon Musk falls out with Russell Brand: Twitter boss says comic’s latest rant is ‘rather disappointing’ because it plugged Rumble rather than his own service – but has nothing to say on rape and assault claims

Elon Musk appears to have fallen out with Russell Brand after being “disappointed” by the comedian who plugged social media platform Rumble in his latest YouTube rant rather than his own service – but had nothing to say about the allegations of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse. the actor is currently facing.

Last night, Brand broke his silence since the accusations came to light, saying he had an “extraordinary and distressing week” after being accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse by multiple women.

Speaking in a short three-minute video, the under-fire comedian thanked his supporters for their “support and for questioning the information that has been presented to you.”

Musk, owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, said Brand’s comments were “pretty disappointing” after the comedian referenced conspiracy theories before telling fans he would post a video soon longer on Rumble.

Brand’s new video came just hours after a woman claimed the comic left her feeling “vulnerable and intimidated”, allegedly refusing to call a taxi for her to leave until she committed a sexual act.

Musk, owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, said Brand’s comments were “pretty disappointing.”

Last night, Musk responded to a user who shared Brand’s video, without referring to the horrific array of allegations he faced, and said: “It’s pretty disappointing that he’s pushing Rumble exclusively while X was equally supportive of freedom of expression.”

This marks a significant departure from the billionaire businessman, who previously appeared to express support for Brand.

Responding to the comedian’s claims that the allegations against him were the result of a campaign to silence him, Musk said: “Of course they don’t like competition.”

This appears to refer to mainstream media, but Musk’s change in stance means Brand has lost one of his few major supporters.

Brand faces allegations he raped, sexually assaulted and emotionally abused various women after The Times and Channel 4 dispatches conducted a joint investigation into his behavior.

Four women were featured in the documentary, including one who claims Brand raped her against the wall of his Los Angeles home after she refused to engage in a threesome with him and another woman.

Brand issued a preemptive denial the day before the allegations were published, saying he had spoken publicly about his promiscuity and that all of his encounters and sexual relationships were consensual.

Since the investigation, which lasted more than a year, other women have come forward with new allegations, including one describing Brand exposing himself to her – before joking about it on a BBC radio show.

“Olivia” came forward this week, claiming that Brand exposed himself to her in an office where the BBC operated in Los Angeles in 2008.

Brand faces allegations he raped, sexually assaulted and emotionally abused various women after The Times and Channel 4 dispatches conducted a joint investigation into his behavior.

Musk initially appeared to support the comedian’s dismissal of the serious accusations against him.

The comic was said to have been in the building to film a pre-recorded edition of his BBC Radio 2 program on June 16 that year.

The show, which aired five days later, featured a clip of Brand and his co-host appearing to joke about the incident, with his co-host Matt Morgan noting: “It’s been 25 minutes since he showed his will to a lady”. .’

She alleged she opened the door for Brand and his team before going to the bathroom to get medication.

As she turned from the medicine cabinet, she alleged that Brand was standing in front of her with his groin in front of her face. She claimed he remarked: “I think you’re doing a little well… I’m going to fuck you.”

She added that as she tried to push him away, Brand pulled out his penis and “pretty much served it to me like you would to someone serving food.”

Media outlets including the BBC have launched internal investigations to examine the time Brand spent working on their content.

Last night, Brand did not directly address any of the allegations against him, but made baseless accusations of conspiring to “target, patrol, stifle and shut down independent media organizations.”

He said: “Hello to you wonders of awakening, obviously this has been an extraordinary and difficult week and I thank you very much for your support and for questioning the information presented to you.

“You probably know that the UK government has asked big tech platforms to censor our online content and that some online platforms have complied with this request.

“What you may not know is that this is happening in the context of the Online Safety Bill, a UK law which grants extensive powers of surveillance and censorship and it is a law which has already been adopted.”

He added: “I also don’t imagine you’ve heard of the Trust Information Initiative and now, as is often the case when a word like trust is used in an acronym to describe a non-elected body, trust is the last thing.” thing you should offer.

“The Trusted News Initiative is a collaboration between big tech organizations and traditional media to target, patrol, stifle and shut down independent media organizations, like this one.”

Brand said he would return to Rumble – an online video platform where subscribers pay a minimum of $60 (£48) to watch – after adverts on his YouTube channel were suspended in light of the allegations.

Brand denies all allegations against him, previously saying all of his relationships were “consensual.”