By Fatma Younis
Russell Brand has been convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault following a four-week trial that heard he treated women as "disposable" and "amusements" between 2004 and 2009. The verdict has brought renewed attention to past public criticisms from several high-profile figures in the entertainment industry.
Celebrities who previously criticized Brand
Dannii Minogue, reflecting on her 2006 appearance on Brand's MTV chat show, told The Mirror he was "completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator" and doubted he had cured his sex addiction.
Comedian Sean Lock, on the show 8 Out of 10 Cats in 2014, said he disliked Brand because as a father he feared his daughters might bring someone like him home.
Katherine Ryan allegedly called Brand a "sexual predator" repeatedly during filming for Comedy Central's Roast Battle in 2018, prompting Brand to quit the show. In a 2022 interview with Louis Theroux, Ryan said she believed him to be a "perpetrator of sexual assault" but noted the matter was a "litigious minefield."
At the 2007 NME Awards, musician Bob Geldof took the microphone after Brand introduced him and declared, "Russell Brand – what a c***."
Comedian Katy Brand (no relation) republished a 2023 Instagram post describing how she refused to work on a 2019 TV show if Brand was cast, citing industry rumors about his predation. She said a producer dismissed the concerns and the project was abandoned.
Daniel Sloss, speaking in a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, said female comedians had been warning each other about Brand for years and that he knew of groups set up to share such warnings.
Support services: Rape Crisis can be reached at 0808 802 9999 (England and Wales), 0808 801 0302 (Scotland), and 0800 0246 991 (Northern Ireland), or at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. In the US, Rainn is available at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
