Charity watchdog 'assessing' Russell Brand's addiction foundation
A charity watchdog has confirmed that it is 'assessing information' to determine its role in Russell Brand's foundation for addiction, Stay Free Foundation.
The actor and comedian has been accused of sexual assault, rape and emotional abuse between the years 2006 and 2013, a time period which has largely been considered to have been the peak of his fame. The alleged incidents are explored in a joint investigation with The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. Brand has vehemently denied the claims, insisting that all his relationships have "always been consensual."
In the wake of the allegations Brand's tour has been postponed, YouTube have temporarily stopped the monetisation of his videos and production company Banijay UK has launched an urgent probe. Now, Brand's charity foundation, Stay Free Foundation, is set to undergo investigation by the Charity Commission.
Russell Brand has been accused of sexual assault, rape and emotional abuse. He denies all allegations. (Getty Images for The Recording Academy)Brand, 48, is currently the chairman of the Stay Free Foundation, a charity that supports people in their recovery from addiction and their mental health issues. The actor has spoken publicly about his own history of drug, alcohol, and sex addiction, and claims to have been sober for over 20 years. Brand's wife, Laura Brand, is also listed as a trustee on the charity's official register.
The charity is described on Brand's official website as: "a charitable organisation that will focus on supporting people through recovery from addiction, their mental health issues and the non-profit organisations that help them".
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A spokesperson for the Charity Commission has now issued a statement in light of the allegations made against Brand: "We are aware of concerns raised in the media regarding the Chair of Trustees of the Stay Free Foundation. We are currently assessing information to determine if there is a regulatory role for the Commission."
The update comes shortly after the Trevi Women & Children’s Charity in the UK announced it had cut ties with Brand. Brand’s stand-up comedy tour, Bipolarization, has also been postponed by organisers. The 48-year-old had been scheduled to perform at the Theatre Royal Windsor on September 19, The Pavilions in Plymouth on September 22 and The Civic Halls at Wolverhampton on September 28.
In a statement shared by the Theatre Royal Windsor on Monday, promoters of the tour confirmed that the dates had been scrapped. "We don’t like doing it," they added, "but we know you’ll understand." All ticketholders have been offered a refund.
The Sunday Times has said all the women who have made allegations against Brand felt ready to speak only after being contacted by the reporters, with several feeling compelled to come forward in light of the comic's recent exploits as a wellness influencer. The women who have come forward have chosen to remain anonymous.
Responding to allegations on Friday, Brand 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.
"These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. And as I've written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous. Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that.
"Then almost too transparent, and I'm being transparent about it now as well. And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question, is there another agenda at play?"
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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