Comedian Russell Brand is being investigated for sexual assault in the United Kingdom, police said on Monday.
The investigation follows reports by British news organizations in which several women, including one who claimed to be 16 years old at the time, came forward to allege abuse. One of them said she was raped.
“We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us,” Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of London’s Metropolitan Police, told The Associated Press.
Brand has repeatedly denied the allegations. The comedian did not refute having relationships with the women, but insisted they were consensual.
British police receive sexual assault allegation against Russell Brand
Russell Brand's tour has ended early as police have now become involved in claims he sexually assaulted multiple women.
"These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies and, as I have written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous," Brand said in a video statement.
Despite the denials, Brand postponed some of his comedy tour dates. A talent agency and a publisher also reportedly split with Brand in light of the allegations.
The comedian, who hosts a popular online show, claims the allegations are part of a larger plot by media companies to silence him.
Brand's shows routinely rack up millions of views on YouTube and Rumble, as he repeatedly rails against censorship and flirts with conspiracies involving the U.S. and U.K. governments.
