YouTube halts Russell Brand channel revenues after sexual assault allegations

YouTube stated Tuesday it had suspended monetization on the channel of actor and comic Russell Brand, who faces a number of allegations of sexual assault.

This prevents enjoying ads alongside his movies, which normally generate cash for the content material creator in proportion to their view depend.

Brand, who has predominantly exited mainstream media to grow to be an web commentator lately, has 6.61 million subscribers on his foremost YouTube channel.

All channels owned or operated by Brand had been suspended from the YouTube Partner Program following “severe allegations in opposition to the creator,” a spokesperson stated. His different smaller channels embrace Football is Nice, Awakening With Russell and Stay Free With Russell Brand.

Brand has strongly denied all accusations of illegality and stated that every one his relationships throughout the interval of alleged assaults had been consensual.

YouTube stated the demonetization was as a consequence of violation of its “Creator Responsibility coverage.”

“If a creator’s off-platform behaviour harms our customers, workers or ecosystem, we take motion,” the YouTube spokesperson stated.

The firm stated the motion was “uncommon” however according to earlier purposes of the coverage, together with the suspension of adverts from the channels of influencers David Dobrik and James Charles.

YouTube creators proceed to have the ability to make cash by way of sponsorship offers with outdoors events.

Brand has 3.8 million subscribers on Instagram, 11.2 million followers on X — previously often known as Twitter — and 1.4 million followers on Rumble.

A joint investigation by the U.Okay.’s Channel 4 and the Sunday Times newspaper, launched in print and in a tv documentary over the weekend, contained the accounts of 4 girls who allege misconduct by the star.

One stated Brand raped her in his Los Angeles dwelling. A second girl accused him of emotional abuse and controlling habits throughout a relationship when she was 16 and he was in his 30s. Two extra girls alleged sexual assault on two separate occassions.

CNBC has not independently confirmed any of the allegations in opposition to Brand.

Brand was privately offered with the allegations by Channel 4 and Sunday Times investigation for remark forward of publication. In a video Brand posted earlier than they had been launched by the information organizations, he stated, “The relationships that I had had been completely all the time consensual. I used to be all the time clear about that then, nearly too clear, and I’m bing clear about it now.”

CNBC has reached out to Brand for remark and is awaiting reply.

London’s Metropolitan Police stated Monday it was conscious of the allegations, and that it had on Sunday acquired a “report of a sexual assault, which was alleged to have taken place in Soho in central London in 2003.”

“We first spoke with the Sunday Times on Saturday 16 September and have since made additional approaches to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to make sure that anybody who believes they’ve been the sufferer of a sexual offence is conscious of the best way to report this to the police,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson stated.

While Brand carried out a reside present in London on Saturday, the promotors of his “Bipolarisation” tour stated they had been suspending the remaining reveals.