Following an investigative report showing allegations of rape and sexual assault from four women against former actor turned Rumble streamer Russell Brand, prominent right-wing media figures have insisted that Brand is being attacked because of his alternative political views. Some right-wing personalities also used misogynistic rhetoric to defend him, including claiming that there is a “group of vile women in the media who have formed a rape accusation team called the rape squad.”
Molly Butler/Media Matters
Research/Study
Amid reports of rape and sexual assault, right-wing media frame Russell Brand as a victim
Despite a yearslong investigation, including hundreds of interviews, right-wing media portray recent reporting as a “coordinated media attack" against him
Written by Payton Armstrong & Ethan Collier
Published
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A yearslong investigation reveals multiple women have said Brand raped and/or sexually assaulted them
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- A joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches reported that four women, including one 16-year-old, have accused Brand of rape and sexual assault. [The Times, 9/16/23]
- According to the Times report, the extensive investigation into the allegations spanned several years and consisted of hundreds of interviews. The investigation also included analysis of private emails and texts, therapists’ notes, and Brand’s own books and media appearances in order to “corroborate allegations.” According to the report, the “rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse” occurred “during a seven-year period at the height of his fame.” [The Times, 9/16/23]
- Brand has hosted a Rumble-exclusive daily streaming show called Stay Free since 2022, where he has pushed right-wing conspiracy theories and derided mainstream media. Brand’s March 2023 appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, during which he asserted that “the pandemic created at least 40 new big pharma billionaires,” has also resurfaced, fueling rumors that Brand is now being punished for “telling the truth” about the COVID-19 vaccine. [Media Matters, 5/1/23; Newsweek, 9/18/23]
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Right-wing media figures have dismissed the accusations against Brand using misogynistic rhetoric and suggesting they are part of a “coordinated media attack” because of his public views
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- Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones said that Brand is being accused of rape because he has “come out against globalists.” Jones baselessly claimed that “suddenly allegations are happening” to Brand because he has “come out against Big Pharma,” saying that he’s “never seen women throw themselves at anyone like with” Brand. [Independent, 9/18/23; Twitter/X, 9/17/23]
- Former Fox host Tucker Carlson suggested that Brand is being accused because he has criticized drug companies and questioned the war in Ukraine. Carlson posted a video of Brand denying the allegations and wrote, “Criticize the drug companies, question the war in Ukraine, and you can be pretty sure this is going to happen.” [Twitter/X, 9/16/23]
- X owner Elon Musk boosted and agreed with Brand asserting that he is being accused by mainstream media due to his political views. Musk wrote, “Of course. They don’t like competition.” [Twitter/X, 9/15/23]
- Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro suggested Brand is being targeted for his political views and questioned the timing of the allegations. Shapiro noted that “Russell Brand has remade himself. ...I think that Russell Brand today is a good person,” pointing to the fact that Brand is now married with children. Shapiro also claimed that Brand “crossed a particular political line that, if he had still been on the right side of the line, the media definitely would not have been going after him.” [The Daily Wire, The Ben Shapiro Show, 9/18/23]
- Right-wing pundit Dave Rubin said that “even if he [Brand] at one point did something that he shouldn’t have done, what this is about more than anything else is that if you tell the truth, they will come after you.” Rubin noted that he considers Brand “a friend” and “helped him get on board with Rumble.” He also said “the machine is really going after” Brand, and “these allegations against Russell, my guess, are complete nonsense, or at least within the historical context of them happening, probably have no real value.” [YouTube, The Rubin Report, 9/18/23]
- Daily Wire host Matt Walsh declared that the accusations against Brand seemed to “materialize from thin air” because he was “a threat to the establishment.” Walsh asserted, “The moment somebody becomes a threat to the establishment, the accusations of sexual assault materialize from thin air. It is impossible not to notice this trend.” [The Daily Wire, The Matt Walsh Show, 9/18/23]
- Roger Stone posted that “the truth-tellers aways [always] get smeared.” Stone wrote: “First it was me, then #AlexJones, then Andrew Tate @Cobratate and Tristan Tate @TateTheTalisman and now Russell Brands @rustyrockets.” [Twitter/X, 9/16/23]
- A senior editor for the right-wing outlet RedState suggested in an op-ed that “perhaps the left is trying to generate another #MeToo movement just in time for the 2024 election.” The editor, Brandon Morse, also speculated that the allegations could be part of a plot against “a Rumble star in order to paint the entire platform as a haven for horrible people.” [RedState, 9/18/23]
- BlazeTV host and Turning Point USA contributor Lauren Chen called the accusations “an ideologically-driven smear campaign.” Chen posted, “A coordinated #MeToo campaign against Russell Brand is dropping. Is there anyone who *doesn't* believe this is an ideologically-driven smear campaign?” In a separate post, she wrote, “Seems like a lot of victims suddenly find their voices as soon as their abusers start questioning the leftist establishment and elites. Really neat.” [Twitter/X, 9/16/23, 9/16/23]
- Right-wing internet troll Ian Miles Cheong suggested there’s a “media conspiracy” to take down Brand. Cheong wrote on social media: “This is how the establishment media is covering Russell Brand. It only allows for a single, driven narrative without even so much as a voice of dissension. He’s declared guilty, without a trial. Tell me there isn’t a media conspiracy to take him down.” [Twitter/X, 9/17/23]
- On her OutKick show, right-wing personality Charly Arnolt said Brand could be the “latest victim” of a “coordinated media attack,” speculating that the accusations were because Brand had “appeared on Bill Maher's show and dropped facts about Big Pharma.” Arnolt said that “everytime someone slightly deviates from the mainstream media narrative, they are suddenly bombarded with horrible accusations such as the ones that Brand is being presented with. ... Is it a coincidence? If you ask me, I say no way. … Coordinated media attacks do exist, we’ve seen it happen before, and it looks like potentially Brand could be the latest victim.” [OutKick, OutKick the Morning, 9/18/23]
- Right-wing influencer Matt Wallace baselessly claimed that “there is a group of vile women in the media who have formed a rape accusation team called the rape squad” and “Russell Brand is Only The Latest Example.” He elaborated, “If you become too influential against the woke mob then they will come after you.” [Twitter/X, 9/17/23]
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