(London) YouTube announced Tuesday that Russell Brand would no longer make money from the online listening site following a series of sexual assault allegations against the comedian-turned-influencer.
YouTube said monetization of Brand’s account, which has 6.6 million subscribers, had been suspended “following serious allegations against the creator.”
This measure applies to all accounts that are owned or operated by the comedian, the Google-owned video service said.
The suspension means Brand will not be able to make money from ads running in and alongside his YouTube videos.
Other channels associated with Brand’s main YouTube page include: Awakening With Russell (426,000 subscribers), Football Is Nice (20,000 subscribers), and Stay Free With Russell Brand (22,200 subscribers).
Russell Brand still has a presence on Rumble, a video site popular with some conservative and far-right groups where his channel has 1.4 million subscribers. He also has 11.2 million followers on X, formerly Twitter, and 3.8 million on Instagram.
The 48-year-old comedian denies allegations of sexual assault made by four women in a Channel 4 television documentary and in The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. Among the accusers, who have not been named, one says she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman claims Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.
The four allegations date from 2006 to 2013. The London Metropolitan Police announced that since the allegations became public, they have received a report of a separate sexual assault dating from 2003.
Known for his wild stand-up routines, he hosted radio and television shows, wrote a memoir chronicling his battles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood films, and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.
In recent years, Russell Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media, but has built a large online audience with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. His YouTube channel, which has more than 6 million subscribers, has spread COVID-19 conspiracies, vaccine misinformation and interviews with right-wing hosts including Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.
He also continued his tour as a comedian, performing on Saturday in front of hundreds of people in a London venue. He was due to perform in Windsor, west London, on Tuesday, but promoters postponed the rest of the tour following the allegations.
Brand was also dropped by his talent agency and a publisher.
