Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape and assault charges, trial set for 2026

Russell Brand pleads not guilty in London court amid rape allegations

Actor, comedian, and conspiracy-theorizing YouTuber Russell Brand entered a not guilty plea to several rape and sexual assault allegations on Friday in a London courtroom.

The presiding judge, Tony Baumgartner, stated after a brief hearing that Mr. Brand will be put on trial on June 3, 2026, for four to five weeks. Due to the backlog of cases in the British legal system, defendants frequently have to wait between tendering a plea and going to trial.

Mr. Brand, 49, is charged with two charges of sexual assault, one crime of oral rape, one count of rape, and one act of indecent assault.

Four ladies are involved in those five charges. The episodes, according to the prosecution, took place between 1999 and 2005. One of them involves Mr. Brand allegedly raping a lady in a hotel room when she was attending a Labour Party political meeting.

Wearing a dark gray suit and a striped shirt that opened to display his chest, Mr. Brand stood in a Plexiglas box at the back of the courtroom throughout the 10-minute session, which was attended by tens of journalists. He answered, “Not guilty,” as each of the allegations was read out.

News organizations are prohibited by British law from identifying anyone who accuses someone of sexual assault unless the accuser agrees to give up their right to anonymity. Strict regulations also prohibit the publishing of case-related material that can sway a jury during a trial once criminal procedures have begun.

Mr. Brand had vehemently refuted every claim before Friday’s hearing. He claimed to have been a “drug addict, a sex addict, and an imbecile” in a video he uploaded to social media in April, but he had “never engaged in nonconsensual activity.”

Mr. Brand has been a British celebrity for decades. He rose to stardom as a stand-up comedian and as a BBC and MTV radio and television host. He also became well-known in the US after the criminal trials ended because of his roles in popular films like 2008’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” Additionally, he was temporarily wed to pop sensation Katy Perry.

Mr. Brand’s most well-known role these days is that of a politically charged YouTuber. With more than 11 million followers on X and more than 6.7 million subscribers to his channel, he frequently discusses religion, conspiracy theories, and conservative talking points in his videos.