Inside Rumble, the YouTube alternative beloved by Russell Brand and the Trumps

The video-sharing platform has become a haven for those exiled from mainstream media channels. As the BBC, Channel 4 and Paramount+ distance themselves from Russell Brand, Annabel Nugent asks whether Rumble is his port in the storm?

Rumble, which is home to Andrew Tate, Alex Jones and Donald Trump, advertises itself as ‘immune to cancel culture’ (Getty/EPA)

All is not lost for Russell Brand. Despite the allegations of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse made against him, all of which he vehemently denies, and his subsequent exile from mainstream media, one platform is currently touting its close proximity to the star as a selling point. “Join Rumble today,” former Fox News presenter and Rumble bankroller Dan Bongino said earlier this week. “Russell is already there.” So too are Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr, misogynist mega-influencer Andrew Tate, and Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

As of 2022, the video-sharing platform (effectively an alternative to YouTube) reported 78 million active users globally. Brand has been one of those users for just over a year. On Rumble, he has 1.4 million followers – or “awakening wonders” as he so oddly calls them. It’s a somewhat paltry figure compared to the 6.63 million he has on YouTube, but not insubstantial by any means. And with YouTube now demonetising Brand’s channel in light of the recent allegations, the comedian is expected to continue profiting from Rumble instead – and those subscriber figures may very well tick up.

Brand joined Rumble in September last year, after receiving repeated warnings from YouTube over his mostly Covid-related videos. Rumble, he claimed, was a better platform for his content, as it advertises looser restrictions and a steadfast “resist censorship” ethos. The move looked like a logical next step for Brand, whose journey from Noughties British TV darling to online fringe personality has been ongoing. The subjects of some of his recent Rumble videos range from Prince Harry and the so-called “Deep State” to anti-vax conspiracy theories. Notably, he still posts on YouTube, but as reported by The Guardian, it was on Rumble that he got ahead of The Times and Channel 4 last week, by addressing the fact that media outlets were preparing to publish what he called “very, very serious criminal allegations” against him.