Russell Brand’s stand-up shows over the next 10 days have been postponed following allegations of sexual assault.
The comedian was set to perform his Bipolarisation show at the Theatre Royal Windsor on Tuesday (September 19), Plymouth Pavilions on Friday (September 22) and The Halls Wolverhampton next Thursday (September 28).
In a statement issued on Monday (September 18), the tour promoters said: “We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows, we don’t like doing it – but we know you’ll understand.”
As noted in a statement on the Ticket Store UK website for the Pavilions show, all tickets “will be refunded direct from the point of purchase”, while tickets from the Ticket Store will be automatically refunded.
The postponed shows follow a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches, in which four women accused the comedian of rape and sexual assault over a period between 2006 and 2013. Brand has denied the allegations.
On Saturday (September 16), after denying the allegations in a video, Brand went ahead with his gig at the Wembley Park Theatre in London. At the show, he reportedly received a standing ovation.
According to Deadline, Brand told the crowd: “I love you. I love you. Thank you. There’s some things I cannot talk about and hopefully, you appreciate that I’m gonna give you everything I’ve got.”
A description for the show reads: “Rules and rule breaking! Democracy and freedom! We reach conclusions from mass confusion by polling the live audience. We want to hear YOUR opinion.”
On Monday (September 18), the Metropolitan Police received a report of an alleged sexual assault in Soho, central London, in 2003, following the allegations against Brand. “Officers are in contact with the woman and will be providing her with support,” the statement read.
In his video denying the original allegations, Brand said that all of his relationships were consensual.
This is happening pic.twitter.com/N8zIKLbJN2
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) September 15, 2023
“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” he said. “These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies, and as I have written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.
“Now during that time of promiscuity the relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual. I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I am being transparent about it now as well. To see that transparency metastasised into something criminal, that I absolutely deny, makes me question – is there another agenda at play?”
Channel 4 and the BBC have both opened investigations into Brand. The former has also removed all content featuring the comedian from its streaming service.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
