YouTube moved to block British comedian and internet commentator Russell Brand from making money from his YouTube channel this week, following allegations from several women that he sexually assaulted them more than a decade ago years.
The online video platform announced Tuesday that it had suspended monetization of Brand’s channel, citing the creator’s “off-platform behavior” in violation of YouTube policy.
The site’s decision prevents Brand from earning revenue from in-video ads in YouTube videos, the primary way content creators make money on the platform.
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British comedian Russell Brands’ YouTube channel has been officially demonetized following allegations he sexually assaulted four women more than a decade ago. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
The brand has a large following on the platform, with more than 6 million subscribers. His videos, most of which involve criticizing government and corporate power structures, media bias and encouraging users to think critically when it comes to mainstream news, regularly earn millions of viewers. views.
YouTube’s move removes a key source of income for the creator, after “his publisher, management agency and charities severed ties following the allegations,” Forbes reported Tuesday.
The platform made the call after four women accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and psychological violence between 2006 and 2013. The allegations were made public following a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and from Channel 4 Dispatches.
In a video Brand posted to his YouTube channel last Friday, the comedian insisted his relationships with the women were “consensual” and called the allegations “very serious criminal allegations.”
He called the allegations a “litany of extremely blatant and aggressive attacks” against himself.
He added that he had always been “transparent” about the consensual nature of his relationships, and added: “To see that transparency metastasized into something criminal, which I absolutely deny, makes me wonder: is- Is there another agenda at play?”
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Host Russell Brand speaks onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Aerosmith at West Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center on January 24, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
In its official statement regarding Brand’s demonetization, YouTube said: “We have suspended monetization on Russell Brand’s channel for violating our Creator Responsibility Policy. If a creator’s off-platform behavior harms our users, employees, or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community. “
The site confirmed that the move followed serious allegations against the creator. This action means that the channel is no longer able to monetize on YouTube.
Since the allegations were reported, Brand has “lost his book deal with Pan Macmillan, been dropped by his management agency and had his ‘Bipolarization’ tour dates postponed and charities cut ties with the star,” Forbes added.
Several streaming platforms have moved to remove content featuring Brand since the allegations. The BBC confirmed to the Daily Mail on Tuesday that it had removed clips featuring Brand from its platforms, iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
Britain’s Channel 4 also removed episodes featuring Brand from its streaming service. A spokesperson for the network told the DailyMail: “We have removed content featuring Russell Brand from our streaming service while we investigate this matter. This includes the Celebrity Bake Off episode.”
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