Comedy writer says Russell Brand had a ‘reputation’ for getting ‘nasty’ if women ‘wouldn’t sleep with him’
Brand is accused of rape and sexual harassment by four women
A comedian and writer who worked with Russell Brand has said the embattled star had a “reputation” for responding badly if women refused to sleep with him.
A joint investigation released on 16 September by Channel 4, The Sunday Times and The Times alleged Brand, 48, had raped, sexually harassed and been abusive towards four women between 2006 and 2013. Brand has vehemently denied the allegations.
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Cole Parker appeared on BBC Newsnight on Friday (22 September) to speak about the Get Him to the Greek star.
The BBC said Parker worked with Brand between 2000 and 2002. His biography on the Top Secret Comedy Club website says he has written for Brand, among other famous comedians such as Jimmy Carr.
“A lot of the modelling agents would sit down and tell their models... warn them about him, things like people go back to his house and they fool around and then if they didn’t want to go all the way, he had a reputation for sometimes getting angry or a bit nasty if people wouldn’t sleep with him the first time,” Parker claimed.
“And given the fact that he was a celebrity, very good-looking man, very funny, he didn’t really need to sort of operate that way. There would have been plenty of people who would have been happy to get themselves involved in a dalliance with him, he didn’t have to go with people who were reluctant to do so.”
The Independent has contacted Brand’s representatives for comment.
In the wake of the allegations, the BBC and Channel 4 have vowed to investigate the claims against him. The Metropolitan Police has encouraged any potential victims to come forward after the star was accused of rape in a joint media investigation.
In a video released ahead of the reports being published, Brand described the allegations as “a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks” against him.
“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, [and] when I was in the movies,” he said.
“As I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous. Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual.”
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.
If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)