YouTube blocks Russell Brand from generating revenue after ‘violating its policy’

YouTube has blocked Russell Brand from making money from his channel in light of sexual assault allegations against him.

The suspension, for “violating its policy,” will still allow Brand to upload videos to his 6.6 million followers, but he will not profit from the publicity.

In a statement, 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 company said it suspended Brand’s channel from the YouTube Partner Program “following serious allegations against the creator.” This action means that the channel is no longer able to monetize on YouTube.”

If you have any information regarding the allegations against Russell Brand that you would like to share with The Independent’s reporting team, please email newsdesk@independent.co.uk

The decision applies to all channels that may be owned or operated by the comedian, it adds.

Filming from a converted pub in an Oxfordshire village, Brand has developed a loyal fan base on his Joe Rogan-style channel, where he dissects UFO sightings and “dark” conspiracy theories, including whether a laser built by Bill Gates sparked wildfires in Hawaii.

Once a favorite of the British left wing, Brand peaked with his infamous “you have to vote Labor” Miliband interview, believing he could swing the hotly contested 2015 election after asking his fans not to vote .

But Brand’s tone changed after he recently praised Donald Trump’s “bezerker” qualities who helped attract headline-making guests from the American right, including former Fox host Tucker Carlson, men’s rights writer Jordan Peterson and Candace Owens, who is currently banned from YouTube for hate speech. against the LGBT+ community.

Recent video titles include “Here’s What They’re Not Telling You About Russia,” “So Here’s What They’re Hiding,” “It’s Official: They Lied,” “Are They Just Puppets?” and “So they run the world.” He took to the channel to refute the allegations by speaking directly to his millions of followers.

Brand still has a presence on the video platform Rumble, where his channel has 1.4 million followers and where he hosts a weekly live show, but there was no new episode on Monday. His most recent Rumble video is Friday’s short clip in which he denied the allegations against him that were released the following day.

The Rumble channel description reads: “Everyone knows old ideas won’t help us. Religion is dead. Capitalism is dead. Communism is dead. Where will the answers be in the next century? Especially when we face a mental health epidemic and ecological collapse.

It also has a subscriber-only area on online community platform Locals, where members can sign up for a minimum of $60 (£48) a year – or enter a higher amount if they want to give more – to access special bonus content. of Brand, as well as the possibility of interacting directly with him.

YouTube’s announcement on Tuesday morning comes after the remaining shows of Brand’s Bipolarization tour were postponed after police announced they were investigating another alleged sexual assault in Soho, central London, in 2003.

The 48-year-old was accused of rape, assault and psychological abuse between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame working for the BBC, Channel 4 and starring in Hollywood films. Brand has strongly denied the allegations, which also include allegations of controlling, abusive and predatory behavior.

The Met Police said in a statement on Monday that they had received an allegation of sexual assault in 2003.

The force said: “On Sunday September 17, the Met received a report of a sexual assault believed to have taken place in Soho, central London, in 2003.

“Officers are in contact with the woman and will provide support.

“We first spoke with Sunday times on Saturday September 16 and have since taken further steps to Sunday time and Channel 4 to ensure anyone who thinks they have been the victim of a sexual offense knows how to report it to the police.