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YouTube has blocked Russell Brand from making money from its platform following rape and sexual assault allegations against the comedian and actor.
The online platform said in a statement Tuesday that it had “suspended monetization” on Brand’s channel for violating its “creator accountability policy,” the Associated Press news agency reported.
“If a creator’s off-platform behavior harms our users, employees, or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community,” YouTube said, according to the AP.
Brand has built a sizable following on his YouTube channel in recent years, amassing more than 6.61 million subscribers with videos cultivating a “feel good” influencer persona and sharing conspiracy theories.
The suspension comes after several allegations of sexual assault against the British star were published over the weekend, with Brand, 48, accused of rape, sexual assault and psychological abuse by four women in a joint investigation by the Times of London, the Sunday Times and Channel. 4 Dispatches.
Brand denied the allegations and said his relationships were all consensual.
In a video posted to his social media accounts before the allegations were made public, the comedian said he had received “extremely disturbing” communications from a mainstream television network and a newspaper “listing a litany of extremely blatant and aggressive attacks.”
“But amid this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks, are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” Brand said.
On Monday, London’s Metropolitan Police announced they were investigating an allegation of sexual assault that occurred in 2003 following allegations against Brand.
Police told NBC News they received a report of a sexual assault against Brand on Sunday, a day after the investigation was published and a documentary on the subject aired on Saturday.
The incident is believed to have occurred in 2003 in London’s Soho district, the Met said.
“We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been the victim of a sexual offence, regardless of how long ago, to contact us,” the department said.
NBC News has not spoken to any of the accusers or independently confirmed the allegations against Brand.
Following these allegations, Brand postponed upcoming UK comedy shows.
His management announced Monday that they would suspend the end of his current comedy tour, “Bipolarization.”
“We’re postponing these few drug addiction fundraising charity shows, we don’t like doing it – but we know you’ll understand,” the statement said.
It was not immediately clear whether the dates would be rescheduled.
Timber management agency Tavistock said on Sunday it had dropped Brand as a client after it said it had been “horribly misled” by him.
This is a developing story. Please check again for updates.
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