YouTube convicts internet personality after rape accusations
YouTube Tuesday demonetized internet personality Russell Brand after the Sunday Times reported that four anonymous women are accusing Brand of sexual assault over a decade ago. Brand has vehemently denied the claims.
Brand, who hosts a weekly YouTube show with 6.6 million subscribers, has been outwardly critical of lockdowns, the COVID-19 vaccine, governments, large corporations and mainstream narratives. His smaller YouTube channels total over half a million subscribers. Brand also has a channel on Rumble with 1.6 million subscribers.
But YouTube has now barred the former actor from earning money from his channels “following serious allegations against the creator,” the company said.
“We have suspended monetisation on Russell Brand’s channel for violating our Creator Responsibility policy,” the Google-owned video platform explained in a statement. “If a creator’s off-platform behaviour harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community.”
“This decision applies to all channels that may be owned or operated by Russell Brand,” the social media giant added.
Many are suggesting — as are popular figures like billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk and reporter Tucker Carlson — that the as yet-unproven allegations and ensuing repercussions are part of a coordinated attack on Brand for his influential views.
Netizens across social media are sharing a video of Brand which they suggest explains the media onslaught.
In an appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, Brand said "the pandemic created at least 40 new big pharma billionaires” and that “pharmaceutical corporations like Moderna and Pfizer made $1,000 of profit every second from the COVID-19 vaccine."
"More than two-thirds of Congress received campaign funding from pharmaceutical companies in the 2020 election," he continued. "Pfizer Chairman Albert Bourla told Time magazine in July 2020 that his company was developing a COVID vaccine for the good of humanity, not for money. And of course, Pfizer made 100 million dollars in profit in 2022."
"[Y]ou, the American public, funded the development of that,” Brand said to the audience. "When it came to the profits, they took the profits. When it came to the funding, you paid for the funding.”
Trevi Women, a charity which Brand supported through his own Stay Free Foundation, also announced it was cutting ties with Brand over the allegations.
Public influential figures who oppose government messaging are often targets of unproven sexual allegations.
Tim Ballard, the real-life hero of the the hit anti-pedophile film Sound of Freedom, was recently accused by media of sexual assault against seven anonymous women. Ballard categorically denies all claims.
Elon Musk, who was accused of sexual assault last year after announcing his bid to acquire Twitter (now X), expressed support for Brand in light of the accusations: "Of course. They don't like the competition,” he posted. “I support Russell Brand. That man is not evil,” he added in another tweet.
Tucker Carlson, who was accused earlier this year of workplace sexual harassment, wrote, “Criticize the drug companies, question the war in Ukraine, and you can be pretty sure this is going to happen.”
Masculinist influencer Andrew Tate, who spent months in house arrest in Romania over sex trafficking allegations and is currently awaiting trial, chimed in, “Welcome to the club,” he posted. “On my way to fight the crazy b***h allegations.”
