Elon Musk Defends Russell Brand After Previous Disappointment Over Not Promoting X

Elon Musk has thrown in his support for Russell Brand amid his current troubles. The billionaire said in a recent interview that people shouldn’t be “destroying” the comedian’s life “on the potential of false accusations.”

Musk previously slammed Brand for promoting his Rumble channel instead of X (formerly Twitter).

The comedian is currently facing allegations of rape and sexual assault that were said to have occurred between 2006 and 2013. The police have opened an investigation, but no arrest has been made.

Brand has since denied the allegations, saying in a statement that all his past sexual relationships were consensual.

Musk has come out in defense of Brand in the wake of allegations of sexual assault and rape.

The tech billionaire emphasized that the comedian has not been proven guilty of any wrongdoing yet and that people shouldn’t be “destroying” his life “on the potential of false accusations.”

“There needs to be, obviously, a conviction here. It can’t be guilty until proven innocent," Musk said in a chat with Ben Shapiro, per Page Six. “Because obviously, we’re just sort of in the witch-burning phase here; just being declared a witch is enough to make you a witch and be burnt.”

Musk seemed to be referencing how the accusations have caused Brand into some sort of social pariah, despite him not yet being charged by the police with respect to any of the allegations.

The “Get Him to the Greek” star has also suffered the demonetization of some of his platforms, such as his YouTube channel.

The Tesla founder's defense of Brand comes on the heels of him slamming the comedian for "pushing" the video-sharing app Rumble instead of X, formerly Twitter.

Musk tweeted at the time, "It is rather disappointing that he is exclusively pushing Rumble when X has supported free speech just as much."

Musk was also of the opinion that there is more than meets the eye with regards to Brand’s current troubles. The Space X founder hinted that the entire situation might have stemmed from the actor’s controversial stand on a lot of topics.

“Seems like an odd coincidence that it’s happening when Russell is really gaining traction, questioning a lot of the conventional wisdom,” Musk said. “I think we’re running out of conspiracy theories that didn’t turn out to be true.”

In the meantime, Russell has publicly denied the accusations, saying that while he was “very very, promiscuous” in his past, all his relationships were “absolutely consensual.”

“I was always transparent about that. Then almost too transparent, and I'm being transparent about it now as well,” the "Despicable Me 2" star said in a statement.

Like Musk, Brand also questioned whether “there is another agenda at play,” referencing that personalities like Joe Rogan have also been victims of “coordinated media attacks.”

Brand’s troubles began following the debut of a bombshell exposé by The Sunday Times that claimed he sexually assaulted four women between the years of 2006 and 2013.

One of the women referred to as Nadia, told the publication that Brand had raped her at his Los Angeles residence on the morning of July 1, 2012.

She claimed that on that day, Brand had suggested she participate in sexual activities with him and a friend who was waiting in his bedroom. However, when she declined his offer and attempted to leave, he allegedly proceeded to rape her against a wall without a condom.

Another of Brand’s accusers claimed to have dated the actor when she was 16 and he was 31. In a recent interview, she voiced that it should have been unlawful for the comedian to have had sex with her at that age.

Recently, the U.K. police disclosed that they had initiated an investigation in response to several "non-recent" sexual offense allegations against the comedian.

“We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us,” a rep said.

“We understand it can feel like a difficult step to take and I want to reassure that we have a team of specialist officers available to advise and support.”

Another spokesperson revealed that there have been “no arrests and enquiries continue,” reiterating that victims should contact the police.

Amid his current troubles, Brand has come out to appreciate his fans for their support. He recently sought financial support by asking them to subscribe to his Rumble channel, which is yet to be demonetized.