This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Two media giants in the U.S. are seemingly coming to the defense of British actor and media personality Russell Brand, who is now accused of rape, sexual assault, and emotional abuse of numerous women over a seven-year period from 2006 to 2013 when his career was at its peak.
Published reports indicate one of the alleged victims of sexual assault was a 16-year-old schoolgirl, and Brand is staunchly denying all charges.
Now Tucker Carlson, the former top-rated anchor on the Fox News Channel who is now a media sensation on X, is sharing Brand's personal defense, noting: "Criticize the drug companies, question the war in Ukraine, and you can be pretty sure this is going to happen."
"Sure seems that way!" responded Elon Musk to Carlson's remark.
Musk also responded directly to Brand's video, agreeing with his comments about the media, saying: "Of course. They don't like competition."
Brand says in his video defense: "I have received two extremely disturbing letters – or a letter and an email – one from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks, as well as some pretty stupid stuff, like my community festival should be stopped and I shouldn't be able to attack mainstream media narratives on this channel.
"But amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute. These allegations pertain to a time when I was in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies, and as I've written about extensively in my books I was very, very promiscuous.
"During that time of promiscuity the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I am being transparent about it now as well.
"And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question is there another agenda at play.
"Particularly when we have seen coordinated media attacks before, like Joe Rogan where he dared to take a medicine the mainstream media didn't approve of and we saw a spate of headlines of media outlets around the world using the same language."
He continued: "I am aware of newspapers making phone calls, sending letters to people I know. For ages and ages, it's been clear to me or at least feels to be there's a serious and consorted agenda to control these kinds of spaces and these kind of voices.
"I need my voice along with your voice. I don't mind them using my books and my stand up to talk about my promiscuous sexual conduct in the past. What I seriously refute are these very, very serious, criminal allegations.
"Also it's worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narratives that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently in what seems to be to me a coordinated attack.
"Now, I don't want to get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations but I feel like I'm being attacked and plainly they are working very closely together.
"We are obviously going to look into this matter because it is very, very serious.
"In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake but more importantly than any of that, if you can stay free."
The two media outlets Brand refers to are Britain's Sunday Times and Channel 4 television, whose joint investigation revealed the claims.
According to the Guardian, "Brand's lawyers characterized the way in which the request for comment was made as part of a 'pre-conceived strategy aimed at damaging their client,' according to the report. They added that he believed there was a 'deeply concerning agenda to all this, namely the fact that he is an alternative media broadcaster competing with mainstream media.'"
The Guardian summarized the Sunday Times report, indicating:
One of the women said Brand entered into a relationship with her while he was 31 and she was still a 16-year-old schoolgirl. She reportedly said he referred to her as "the child" during an alleged emotionally abusive and controlling three-month relationship.
She told Dispatches the presenter once "forced his penis down her throat," making her choke, which led her to punch him in the stomach to make him stop.
Another woman alleged Brand raped her in 2012 in his Los Angeles home, the Sunday Times reported, adding that she received treatment at a rape crisis centre the same day.
The paper said she messaged him to say she had been scared by him and felt taken advantage of, adding: "When a girl say[s] NO it means no.” Brand reportedly replied saying he was "very sorry," the paper reported.
The woman, who said she met him at an after party for his Brand X chatshow, told Dispatches she did not report the alleged rape to police due to being scared because of the actor's fame.
A third woman said Brand sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in Los Angeles, and that he threatened to take legal action if she told anyone else about her allegation, the paper reported. A fourth woman described being "sexually assaulted" by Brand, and him being “physically and emotionally abusive” towards her, the Sunday Times said.
The paper said several others had accused Brand of physical and emotional abuse, sexual harassment and bullying, adding that those who had come forward did not know each other and had mostly chosen to remain anonymous.
The paper also reported that the woman who said she met Brand when aged 16 – whom it gave the pseudonym Alice – contacted Brand's former agency Tavistock Wood in 2020 to alert them to his behaviour she had alleged, and seeking an apology.
She said she was promised a response when he returned from a wellness retreat. When one came, she said, it was from lawyers representing Brand, who issued a denial on his behalf, and accused her of seeking financial gain.
Television researchers and runners who worked on Channel 4 shows alleged that Brand would ask staff to approach young female audience members that he found attractive so he could meet them after filming.
