Russell Brand informed police that his "very promiscuous" lifestyle, involving numerous sexual encounters, had been "unfavourably reframed" into allegations of rape and sexual assault, a court heard.
Brand, 51, who faces three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault, was arrested in 2023 following a documentary that detailed allegations of sexual misconduct. During police interviews between November 2023 and July 2025, Brand consistently denied engaging in any non-consensual sexual activity.
He told detectives that he had "countless" sexual encounters in "countless locations and scenarios often with people I had just met." He described his past way of life as a "magnitude of promiscuity" that had been "deceptively rendered in recent media attacks," suggesting that consensual encounters were being misrepresented decades later. Brand claimed that media coverage and public invitations for allegations had led to "further encounters being invented or reimagined."
Brand admitted to kissing "hundreds" of fans and engaging in consensual sex in various locations, including toilet cubicles at parties. He stated that he "routinely made provocative jokes or comments" and was aware that his public actions could be photographed or recorded. He also acknowledged sometimes asking partners in casual sexual encounters to leave shortly after.
Earlier in the proceedings at Southwark Crown Court, a former Channel 4 worker who accused Brand of sexual assault during filming in 2009 described him as "a nightmare to work with," alleging he made her massage him while lying across her lap.
On Tuesday, Brand was formally acquitted of one charge of indecent assault. The judge directed the jury to acquit him of a charge related to an alleged attempt to drag an MTV worker into a toilet in 2001, amending the charge to "attempted indecent assault," to which Brand has pleaded not guilty. The trial is ongoing.