YouTube has suspended monetization of Russell Brand’s channel after the comedian was accused of rape and sexual assault.
“If a creator’s off-platform behavior harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action,” a YouTube spokesperson told British media on Tuesday. The company added that Brand had violated YouTube’s “Creator Responsibility Policy.”
The move comes after four women variously accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013 as part of a joint investigation by The times, The Sunday times and Channel 4 Shipments published on Sunday. Brand has denied the allegations.
On Monday, London’s Met Police said it had received a report of an alleged sexual assault involving the recently reported allegations against Brand. “We are aware of reports from The Sunday times and Channel 4’s Shipments regarding allegations of sexual offences,” a Met Police spokesperson said in a statement published by The guard.
The Met Police statement continued: “On Sunday 17 September the Met received a report of a sexual assault alleged to have occurred in Soho, central London in 2003. Officers are in contact with the woman and will provide her with support. .”
Separately, Channel 4, the BBC and production giant Banijay all announced this weekend that they have launched internal investigations into Brand’s time working for them.
As a result of the allegations, Brand’s live stand-up shows in Britain have been postponed. The comedian’s publisher Bluebird, an imprint of British book giant Pan Macmillan, has said it will cease all future publishing with Brand.
