Under fire comedian and actor Russell Brand’s addiction and mental health charity, Stay Free Foundation, has been closed down after he was accused of sexual assault allegations
Russell Brand has shut down his own addiction and mental health charity.
The under fire comedian was accused of rape, assault and emotional abuse as part of a joint investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches programme, The Times and Sunday Times last year. Brand has strongly denied all accusations alleged to have taken place at the height of his fame between 2006 and 2013.
Last month, the BBC issued a public apology to all staff after their internal investigation. It found that a number of people “felt unable to raise concerns” about his behaviour and believed he would “always get his way and therefore stayed silent.” Now, Brand’s addiction and mental heath charity has been closed.
The Charity Commission was told in September that his Stay Free Foundation “no longer operates”. Last month, the foundation was officially removed from the register of charities. Brand has long been open about his struggles with addiction and rehabilitated from heroin in 2003.
Speaking previously to address the claims made against him, Brand said: “I deny any allegations, that have been advanced. I reject the allegations in the strongest possible terms.” He later went on to tell Carlson Tucker that the crimes he had been accused of committing were “appalling” and a “deliberate profound attempt to shut down any dissent in an astonishingly aggressive way.”
Brand went on to say that his behaviour and being “very, very promiscuous” placed him in a “vulnerable position.” When the claims first came to light in September 2023, he also faced allegations of controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, the comedian and actor said: “I’ve received two extremely disturbing letters or a letter and an email.
“One from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks, as well as some pretty stupid stuff like community festival should be stopped, that I shouldn’t be able to attack mainstream media narratives on this channel. But amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks, often very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.”
He added: “What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations. Also, it’s worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narrative that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently, in what seems to me to be a coordinated attack.
“Now, I don’t wanna get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations, but I feel like I’m being attacked and plainly they’re working very closely together. We are obviously going to look into this matter ’cause it’s very, very serious. In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake, but more important than any of that, if you can, please stay free.”
In January, the BBC published findings of an internal review into Brand’s time as a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music between 2006 and 2008. They said: “The review considered eight complaints of misconduct about Russell Brand, only two of which were made while he was engaged by the BBC, one formally and one informally. It is of great concern that some of these individuals felt unable to raise concerns about Russell Brand’s behaviour at the time, and the BBC has apologised to them as part of this review.
“It is also clear that there were compliance inadequacies on some of Russell Brand’s Radio 2 shows which led to content being aired that would not be broadcast today. Russell Brand left the BBC in 2008 following a high-profile editorial breach. As has been reported, there is an ongoing police investigation into Russell Brand. The BBC has been in contact with the Metropolitan police throughout the review and they have seen the report. The BBC acknowledges that Russell Brand categorically denies all public allegations made against him.”
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.
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