Russell Brand Finally Addresses Rape Allegations, Calls Them 'Painful' Attacks

Russell Brand has spoken out for the first time to refute multiple rape allegations against him directly. The disgraced actor, who has faced a barrage of accusations and is under investigation by the British police, addressed the claims in a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, describing them as "hurtful attacks."

He admitted that his past promiscuous lifestyle put him in this position, going on to say there were "consequences" for the "foolish" way he lived. Brand noted that at the time when the sexual assault allegations first surfaced, his then 12-week-old son was undergoing heart surgery.

Brand came under investigation in September as the British police said they'd gotten multiple allegations of non-recent sexual offenses from women who accused him of sexual assaults.

To give his own side of the story, the renowned comedian appeared on Tucker Carlson's X show on Wednesday, where he vehemently denied the allegations, describing them as "painful" and "hurtful attacks" on his character.

"Of course, I deny any allegations... that have been advanced," he told Carlson, adding, "I reject the allegations in the strongest possible terms."

Brand described the accusations as "appalling" before adding that the public outcry against him is a "deliberate, profound attempt to shut down any dissent in an astonishingly aggressive way."

The "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" star alluded to the fact he might have a hand in the criticism he's currently facing due to his past lifestyle. Brand, who says he has never had non-consensual sex, admitted that his "promiscuous" lifestyle seemingly has a part to play in all of the allegations.

"I put myself in a vulnerable position by being very promiscuous," Brand admitted on Carlson's broadcast. "Attacks like this, being accused of what I consider to be the most appalling crimes, is very painful and hurtful. But there are consequences to the foolish way I lived in the past."

Elsewhere, in the 45-minute interview with Carlson, he revealed that his 12-week-old baby was undergoing heart surgery at the time the allegations first surfaced.

"My son was born with a heart condition; while this was happening, he was undergoing heart surgery at 12 weeks old," he told Carlson.

Brand, who has been taken off primetime TV and airwaves, has since adjusted to an "off-grid" mode of operation, adopting Rumble to continue dishing out bizarre conspiracy theories, online rants, and political activism, which has seen him pull in new viewers and followers.

When the allegations first came to light, his hugely profitable YouTube channel's revenue stream was suspended, and he was forced to cancel his sold-out comedy gigs.

Despite these setbacks, his business ventures appear to be thriving, with fans flocking to participate in his unique offerings.

According to The Sun, his lucrative "off-grid empire" reportedly generates an astonishing £25,000 [$32,000] per week. His Rumble channel, which has become his main source of revenue, boasts a staggering 1.79 million followers and rakes in an average of 250,000 views per week.

"Brand may no longer be welcome on primetime TV, but even before his mainstream career was torn apart by the allegations of rape and sexual assault last September, he was concentrating on getting a cult following on alternative social media channels where he had more control," Tanith Carey, Brand's first biographer said.

She went on, "Brand now has a solid and devoted social media following, many of whom aren't bothered at all by the sexual allegations - and who see them as part of the establishment's conspiracy to silence him."

"Brand's income may have taken a hit, but he still has enough of an online community to keep the money coming in," Carey added. "He is finding re-branding himself as a serious revolutionary and a spiritual guru can also be lucrative."

Despite the multiple sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him, Brand has seen his fame and popularity skyrocket in the months following.

According to Metro UK, his online followings showed that he was still gaining new followers at the time, as the average number of likes on his YouTube videos increased by 31% from 23,284 to 30,610.

At the time of the report, his YouTube channel had gained over 140,000 subscribers since the allegations surfaced.

The spike in his popularity is reportedly not because he posted more videos; in fact, new video releases saw a 35% decrease after the allegations, but his followers are now more loyal than ever.