21 September 2023 , 08:53
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Video streaming site Rumble has criticised the chair of a parliamentary committee for writing a letter asking it to suspend comedian and author Russell Brand from receiving advertising revenue on its platform.
Brand, who boasts more than 1.4 million followers on Rumble has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse at the height of his fame in an investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches – allegations which he vehemently denies.
While both the BBC and Channel 4 have made decisions to remove the comedian from their streaming platforms, online video platform Rumble bosses have not followed suit and will only remove content that is directly in breach of its terms and conditions, rather than because of concerns about its author.
Meanwhile, YouTube said it has suspended the monetisation of Brand’s channel because he was allegedly violating its policies. Yesterday, it said: "If a creator’s off-platform behaviour harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community."
Rumble CEO furiously dismisses 'disturbing' calls from MP to demonetise Russell Brand (Twitter)In a statement, YouTube said: "We have suspended monetisation on Russell Brand’s channel for violating our Creator Responsibility policy. If a creator’s off-platform behaviour harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community."
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The company said that it had suspended Brand’s channel from the YouTube Partner Program "following serious allegations against the creator. This action means the channel is no longer able to monetise on YouTube".
However, Rumble has now confirmed that it will not be following YouTube's lead. In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Rumble said its chief executive Chris Pavlovski had received an 'extremely disturbing' letter from Dame Caroline Dinenage - the chair of the culture, media, and sport committee. In response, CEO Pavlovski insisted the company will 'defend what’s right'.
The letter in question from Dame Caroline Dinenage asked Mr Pavlovski to confirm "whether Mr Brand is able to monetise his content on Rumble and whether Rumble intends to join YouTube in suspending Mr Brand’s ability to earn money on the platform".
In response to the letter, Rumble shared a statement which read: "Today we received an extremely disturbing letter from a committee chair in the UK parliament. While Rumble obviously deplores sexual assault, rape, and all serious crimes, and believes that both alleged victims and the accused are entitled to a full and serious investigation, it is vital to note that recent allegations against Russell Brand have nothing to do with the content on Rumble’s platform.
"Just yesterday, YouTube announced that, based solely on these media accusations, it was barring Mr. Brand from monetizing his video content. Rumble stands for very different values. We have devoted ourselves to the vital cause of defending a free internet - meaning an internet where no one arbitrarily dictates which ideas can or cannot be heard, or which citizens may or may not be entitled to a platform.
"We regard it as deeply inappropriate and dangerous that the UK Parliament would attempt to control who is allowed to speak on our platform or to earn a living from doing so," the statement from Rumble said. "Singling out an individual and demanding his ban is even more disturbing given the audience of connection between the allegations and his content on Rumble. We don't agree with the behavior of many Rumble creators, but we refute to penalize them for actions having nothing to do with our platform.
"Although it may be politically and socially easier for Rumble to join a cancel culture mob, doing so would be a violation or our company's values and missions. We emphatically reject the UK Parliament’s demands."
It comes after Spotify also revealed it has no plans to remove Russell Brand 's content amid sexual allegations against him. Podcast producer Acast, which provides the platform for Brand's Under The Skin podcast, has turned off adverts on the show. An episode of Steven Bartlett’s Diary of A CEO podcast featuring Brand has also been removed.
Brand has been accused of sexual assault and rape by a number of women - he has denied all allegations against him (PA)Brand has denied any allegations. In a statement on his YouTube channel, Brand said: "Now, this isn't the usual type of video we make on this channel where we critique, attack and undermine the news in all its corruption because in this story, I am the news. 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.
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"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? Particularly when we've seen coordinated media attacks before, like with Joe Rogan, when he dared to take a medicine that the mainstream media didn't approve of, and we saw a spate of headlines from media outlets across the world using the same language.
"I'm aware that you guys have been saying in the comments for a while, watch out, Russell. They're coming from you. You're getting too close to the truth. Russell Brand did not kill himself. I know that a year ago there was a spate of articles. Russell Brand’s a conspiracy theorist, Russell Brand’s right wing. I'm aware of news media making phone calls, sending letters to people I know for ages and ages. It's being clear to me, or at least it feels to me like there's a serious and concerted agenda to control these kind of spaces and these kinds of voices. And I mean, my voice along with your voice.
"I don't mind them using my books and my standout to talk about my promiscuous consensual conduct in the past. 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."
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.