Russell Brand news: Elon Musk faces questions over comedian’s Twitter status after coming to defence

Social media site X has been asked by a senior MP if owner Elon Musk, who changed its name from Twitter, “has personally intervened in any decisions on Russell Brand’s status on the platform”.

Following rape and sexual assault allegations being made against Brand, online content platforms that host his content including YouTube and podcasting company Acast said that he will not make money from advertisements on their sites and apps.

Culture, Media and Sport Committee chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage has written to other video hosting sites and social media outlets on Wednesday to ask whether Brand can make “profit from his content” on their platforms.

These include X, where the presenter has 11.2 million followers on the site formerly known as Twitter, right-wing video platform Rumble where has 1.4 million followers, and Instagram which has 3.8 million followers and is run by Meta.

Dame Caroline also pointed to a response by Mr Musk following Brand posting a video on Friday denying the allegations and the comedian and actor saying he has been “promiscuous” but that all of his relationships have been “consensual”.

In the communication to X chief executive Linda Yaccarino, Dame Caroline said: “We would be grateful if you could confirm whether Mr Brand monetises his content and, if so, we would like to know whether X intends to join YouTube in suspending Mr Brand’s ability to earn money on the platform.

“Given Elon Musk’s response to Mr Brand’s tweet regarding the allegations, where he wrote ‘Of course. They don’t like competition’, we are also keen to understand whether Mr Musk has personally intervened in any decisions on Mr Brand’s status on the platform.

“We would also like to know what X is doing to ensure that creators are not able to use the platform to undermine the welfare of victims of inappropriate and potentially illegal behaviour.”

BBC director general Tim Davie has said a “rigorous piece of work” was conducted when Russell Brand departed BBC Radio 2 but noted that there will always be questions in hindsight on whether more could have been done at the time.

Mr Davie was the director of audio at the corporation when Brand left his Radio 2 show in 2008 after he and guest Jonathan Ross left a “lewd” voicemail for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs – who died in 2016 – about his granddaughter.

Asked why more was not done at the time during a session at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Cambridge Conference on Wednesday, Mr Davie said they did a “rigorous piece of work” on the situation which led to “significant departures”.

He added: “I always look back with hindsight when you hear things coming out and you go ‘Could you have done more?’ We’re always going to have questions.”

The BBC boss said he is “proud” of the culture at the corporation, adding: “We’re having, I think, profound conversations and we have been for years now in terms of saying are we getting it right in terms of ensuring that (there are) no abuses of power, that people behave flawlessly in terms of respecting each other, kindness.”

The Culture Secretary has said she wants the film and TV industry to be “synonymous with talent, opportunity and inclusivity” and “not the scandals of #MeToo” as she addressed the allegations comedian Russell Brand has denied.

During her keynote speech at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Cambridge Conference on Wednesday, Lucy Frazer said: “Those allegations are deeply shocking. And it’s right that the police are encouraging anyone who believes they may be a victim of a sexual offence to come forward.

“It’s also right for the organisations involved in his employment to conduct transparent investigations into whether complaints were made or concerns were raised and what action, if any, was taken.”

Reflecting on the culture of the industry, she added: “It is incumbent on all of us to make sure that this industry is synonymous with talent, opportunity and inclusivity, not the scandals of #MeToo.

“TV studios, production facilities and offices need to be places where people feel safe. Places where working cultures are responsible and accountable and don’t allow the possible abuses of power. Places where everybody feels able to speak up, no matter how junior, and where leaders never turn a blind eye.

“And I would urge all of you, as leaders in your industry, to look hard at the cultures and processes in your own organisations and the need to change if change is needed.”

It felt inevitable, to be honest. Women in comedy were all braced for it. Within minutes of the Russell Brand allegations being made public – allegations Brand has denied in no uncertain terms – people swept in to criticise everyone who was aware of the rumours around him and “did nothing”. Responsibility was placed on us, those who were quietly protecting each other but were deemed to have not taken enough action to prevent this kind of alleged behaviour. And my God, we are so tired.

Realistically speaking, rumours are exactly that unless you hear directly from a victim. With that in mind, it is very difficult to go “on the record” with any information you have received. There is a risk to you for sharing it from a legal standpoint, particularly where you know the person in question has power or money. There is also a risk to the person the information pertains to, if somewhere along the way a detail was misconstrued, and also to the victims whose story isn’t yours to tell.

On Tuesday, both video-hosting site YouTube, which hosts Brand’s channel, and podcasting platform Acast, where his Under The Skin podcast appears, said he would not make money from advertisements on their sites and apps.

Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon addressed the claims against the presenter, who used to host Channel 4’s Big Brother spin-off shows EFourum and Big Brother’s Big Mouth, as she opened the Royal Television Society (RTS) Cambridge Convention on Wednesday.

During a session at the RTS, which Ms Mahon chaired, she asked the EMEA vice president of YouTube, Pedro Pina, to clarify how turning off the monetisation would affect Brand, to which he replied: “Essentially, he’s not able to make a living through YouTube.”

He added that it would not make an impact on the prioritisation of Brand’s content on the platform as he explained this process was not connected to how they recommended videos based on users’ interests.

Mr Pina continued: “We don’t tolerate harmful content inside the platform. Right now, from what we know, we don’t have harmful content by Russell Brand at YouTube.”

He explained that had previously taken action when there was an incident surrounding “medical misinformation”, adding: “If we find out over the next days, hours, weeks, that there is more reason to take more action, we will.”

Last year, one of Brand’s videos was taken down on YouTube over the site’s policy on Covid-19 disinformation, which prompted him to move his channel to Rumble.

Piers Morgan has reflected on asking Russell Brand if he was a “successful sexual predator” in 2006.

The broadcaster, 58, brought the matter up while discussing the allegations against the comedian, 48, on his Talk TV Show Uncensored on Tuesday (19 September).

On Saturday (16 September), a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches revealed that Brand faces four accusations of sexual assault, one of which includes rape.

In the wake of these allegations, historic interviews and media appearances featuring the comedian are being resurfaced and shared online. One such interview was conducted by Morgan himself in 2006, who asked Brand: “Are you a more successful sexual predator now you don’t drink?”

Jacob Stolworthy reports:

Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon has said the Russell Brand allegations show that “terrible behaviour” towards women has been “historically tolerated” in the industry.

Ms Mahon addressed the claims against the presenter, who used to host Channel 4’s Big Brother spin-off shows EFourum and Big Brother’s Big Mouth, as she opened the Royal Television Society (RTS) Cambridge Convention on Wednesday.

Brand has strongly denied the rape and sexual assault allegations which span between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame while working for the broadcaster, BBC and starring in Hollywood films.

Ms Mahon, who is also the RTS convention chairwoman, said in her opening speech: “The allegations made against Russell Brand are horrendous and as a CEO of Channel 4 and as a woman in our industry, I found the behaviours described in Dispatches and The Sunday Times and The Times articles disgusting and saddening.

“The allegations of course need to be followed up further and we and the BBC and Banijay are busy investigating.”

She added that her channel had invited anyone that knew about such behaviour to come to them directly, as well as noting that they had set up a process for people to contact the broadcaster anonymously if they needed to.

Calls have been made for laws around the age of sexual consent to be overhauled amid the allegations against Russell Brand.

Brand, a comedian turned conspiracy theorist, is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl when he was in his thirties.

While he has vehemently denied all allegations and insists his relationships were consensual, the claims have ignited a debate around not only the age of consent but also age gaps.

Maya Oppenheim, Women’s Correspondent reports: