LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – British comedian and actor Russell Brand is facing additional rape and sexual assault charges, London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed on Tuesday (23 December).
Police said two new charges — one of rape and one of sexual assault — have been authorised against Brand, adding to a series of allegations already before the courts.
Brand, who has rebranded himself in recent years as an anti-establishment influencer, pleaded not guilty in May to five charges relating to alleged offences between 1999 and 2005. These include one count of rape, one of oral rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said the latest charges involve two additional women and are separate from the charges issued in April 2025, which related to four women. This brings the total number of complainants in the case to six following further investigations.
The 50-year-old, who was previously married to US pop star Katy Perry, has been summoned to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court next month, on 20 January, in connection with the two new charges. A trial on the original five charges is scheduled to begin at Southwark Crown Court on 16 June 2026.
Following the announcement of the new charges, Brand posted on X that he felt “blessed” to have the opportunity “to atone for the many things over the years I did wrong” and to allow people “to understand the truth of my situation”. He added: “I pray Lord that anyone that I’ve harmed or hurt in my years of mindlessness in sin would be healed.”
Prosecutors charged Brand after a police investigation into allegations highlighted in a Channel 4 documentary. One of the accusations relates to the alleged rape of a woman in a hotel room after an event in the Bournemouth area in 1999. Another charge concerns the alleged oral rape and sexual assault of a woman in central London in 2004.
After the initial charges were laid, Brand released a video on social media in which he denied the allegations, stating: “I never was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity.”
Detective Chief Inspector Tariq Farooqi said the women who have come forward “continue to receive support from specially trained officers”. He added that the investigation remains ongoing and urged anyone affected by the case, or with relevant information, to contact police.
Born in 1975 to working-class parents in Essex, east of London, Brand began performing stand-up comedy as a teenager. He later rose to prominence as an MTV presenter and host of a Big Brother spin-off, before presenting a show on BBC Radio 2 between 2006 and 2008. He resigned from the broadcaster after an on-air prank involving a sexually explicit voicemail left for actor Andrew Sachs. Once known as a left-leaning political activist and Hollywood actor, Brand has since repositioned himself as a conservative commentator with millions of followers on social media. Last year, he said he had become a Christian after being baptised in the River Thames.
