Voices: Why are Russell Brand’s accusers only talking about it now? I’ll tell you why.
Jessica Taylor
Mon, 18 September 2023
“Why are they only talking about this now?” “Why didn’t they report it to the police?” “Did they bring it upon themselves?” “Are they doing it for the money?” “Is this all just a plan to take down another successful man?”
It doesn’t matter whether it’s the president of the United States, a stand-up comedian or someone’s brother-in-law – when women speak out about alleged male violence, we hear the same, predictable responses.
Even before the allegations of sexual assault and rape had been shared by The Sunday Times, thousands took to social media to criticise the women as liars, attention seekers, fame-hungry, mentally ill... even plants from the government.
Anything but telling the truth.
And don’t be fooled, this isn’t just an army of men taking to Twitter/X with their unbridled misogyny. Women were happily among them. For a perfect recent example, look at what happened online to Amber Heard.
Research shows us that men have been victim-blaming women for decades. The numbers have stayed pretty stable. What’s shocking to me is that data shows that women who victim-blame other women continues to rise, year on year. Some studies even show that women are inclined to do it more than men. What’s happened to the sisterhood?
Take a look at Twitter/X and you’ll see a range of excuses: from, “I had sex with him, and he was really nice” to “he is clearly being targeted by Rupert Murdoch” – and everything in between. Many point to the fact that there has been no official police investigation as yet.
But as a psychologist who specialises in the blaming of women, I know there are no countries, communities, societies, or religions in the world that consistently stand by victims of sexual abuse and violence. There are also no places in the world where a woman will not be accused of lying about rape or assault.
Yet sexual violence is one of the most common forms of crime – with women and girls overwhelmingly more likely to be subjected to sexual harassment, assault and rape. Who is targeting them? Men.
”Not all men!” is the most predictable response when we present the cold, hard data – which, like it or not, shows it is a lot of men. And far from being shadowy strangers, rapists are most commonly fathers, brothers, partners, exes, friends, colleagues – and perhaps even our favourite celebrities.
When we ask why so many women never report being raped to the police, we need to look at the confidence women have lost in our police forces. Can anyone blame women for not turning to a force that harboured offenders like Wayne Couzens and David Carrick? Or one which has led to rape prosecutions falling to an all-time low?
Women and girls are socialised to blame themselves for what men do to them from an early age, so when they are abused or assaulted, the first thing they do is blame themselves. And that suits society perfectly.
Women and girls are also bombarded with victim-blaming, rape myths and victim-prejudice messages their whole lives (“she was drunk”, “she was wearing a short skirt”, “she was flirting with him”); so when they’re abused or assaulted, they measure themselves against all of that. They then ask themselves: “Is anyone even going to believe me? Am I a good enough victim? Am I going to be scrutinised?”
Many women conclude that they are so likely to be blamed, accused of lying or scrutinised that they can’t bear the thought (and gruelling physical process) of reporting or pressing charges. Many women and girls simply choose to try to move on with their lives, knowing they will never get justice.
One study in 2016 found that teenage girls who withdrew from rape cases actually had better psychological outcomes than the girls who went through with them – even when the perpetrator was found guilty and sentenced to prison.
The process itself is so adversarial that one woman once said to me: “There is a reason it is called the criminal justice system, and not the victim justice system.”
If women feel like this about reporting an older man sexually abusing them, or their ex forcing them to have sex – then how do you think they feel when their alleged perpetrator is a much-loved celebrity with a few million quid spare to shut them up with a defamation case?
Having worked in the criminal justice system myself, managing these types of cases, I have no time for people on social media thinking they have the ultimate “gotcha” by asking, “If this really happened, why didn’t they report to the police?”
Here’s just one possible answer: Because it can be a terrifying, intrusive process which often results in no further action – just further trauma. Of course, we would always encourage women to report it and not to let their attacker get away with it. But we can’t ignore the fact that so many women say that reporting and giving evidence about sexual violence was worse than the sexual violence itself.
Simply put: most people don’t report any crimes, let alone sexual violence.
And isn’t it interesting that the same people asking why they didn’t report it are the ones claiming they must be lying? It’s almost as if those things are connected....
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
Russell Brand: In Plain Sight review – so many red flags ignored for so long
Jack Seale
THE GUARDIAN
Sun, 17 September 2023
The modern news cycle is brutally quick. On Thursday and Friday, the 90-minute special episode of Channel 4’s investigative documentary strand, Dispatches, which was to air on Saturday night, was trending on social media because of the mystery around it: Channel 4 had declined to offer any information about what it contained. But by the time it did air, we knew exactly what it contained.
The programme is a collaboration between Dispatches and the Sunday Times and, as happens often when a TV show and a newspaper mount a joint investigation, the newspaper went public first. With the online print version published a few hours before broadcast, many viewers found themselves in the unusual position of watching a documentary having already read its key allegations.
Related: Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse
Those allegations are that the comedian turned political commentator and wellness guru, Russell Brand, has a history of abusive interactions with women. One woman alleges he raped her. Another says he seriously sexually assaulted her at the end of a relationship that began when she was 16 and he was 31. A third claims physical abuse and sexual assault.
As well as the allegations being known, by the time of broadcast Brand’s denial was also out there. On Friday night, Brand outed himself as the target of the investigation, releasing a video made for his millions of social media followers. He talked of “some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute”. Insisting that “the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual”, he speculated about “coordinated media attacks” with “another agenda at play”. This garnered him support from thousands of his existing followers, and new allies with an interest in self-identifying as brave media disruptors: several GB News presenters posted on social media appearing to take his side.
So with its allegations and the alleged perpetrator’s denial already known about, and even the culture-war battle lines around it already drawn, what currency does Russell Brand: In Plain Sight have? Plenty. As well as organising deeply harrowing testimony into a cogent narrative, the Dispatches film places the women’s claims into a wider context within the industry and our culture as a whole, pinpointing a collective culpability that resonates well beyond whatever one man might have done.
The allegations themselves are disturbing enough. Being able to see and hear the words spoken, even by anonymised interviewees filmed in silhouette or, in one case, replaced by an actor, lends every awful detail alleged a piercing immediacy.
Surrounding the interviews are the words of Brand himself, on stage, TV and radio. Even in the best-case scenario for Brand – the one in which all these specific, independent accusations turn out to be false – we view him as a sleazy, sexist creep because he has told us.
“Don’t be afraid of your own sexuality,” we see him tell a guest on his chatshow, in a clip dug up by Dispatches. “Do be a bit afraid of mine though.” During an interview on Conan O’Brien’s US talkshow, Brand told the host: “You don’t wanna be around when the laughter stops.” One old standup routine, joking about enjoying “them blowjobs where mascara runs a little bit”, spookily echos the exact words of one of the programme’s allegations.
The title In Plain Sight has been carefully chosen. Dispatches has found further evidence of Brand not hiding his misogyny, drawn from the same stint as a Radio 2 presenter that led to his biggest previous controversy in 2008, when he was fired for broadcasting crass voicemails he’d left for the actor Andrew Sachs. In retrospect, it is amazing Brand lasted as long as he did: Dispatches plays the audio of him making demeaning sexual remarks about his show’s female newsreader, and conducting an interview with a celebrity guest where he joked about sending his (named) female assistant to visit the star, stripped naked. The interviewee in question: Jimmy Savile.
Speaking to Dispatches, former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey boggles in retrospect at Brand’s broadcasts: “A predator, live on air on Radio 2.” Previous entertainment-industry exposes have largely concentrated on the 1970s and 80s; passing off the grim sexism of the late 00s as a distant bygone era is more difficult.
The warning about not ignoring red flags, and not indulging toxic behaviour to prioritise talent or fame, is a strong one, with acute relevance to a comedy world still riddled with misogyny: the only performer willing to be interviewed about the problem for Dispatches is Daniel Sloss, who is already known for including serious oratory about male violence in his standup routines. Why work still needs to be done – Brand is not the only comedian whose alleged behaviour is often described as an “open secret” in the industry – is summed up by a female Dispatches contributor, musing on women who might have embarked on a comedy career, met Russell Brand, then sought other employment. “Culturally, what are we missing?”
Russell Brand: In Plain Sight is available on Channel 4 now.
Sun, 17 September 2023
The modern news cycle is brutally quick. On Thursday and Friday, the 90-minute special episode of Channel 4’s investigative documentary strand, Dispatches, which was to air on Saturday night, was trending on social media because of the mystery around it: Channel 4 had declined to offer any information about what it contained. But by the time it did air, we knew exactly what it contained.
The programme is a collaboration between Dispatches and the Sunday Times and, as happens often when a TV show and a newspaper mount a joint investigation, the newspaper went public first. With the online print version published a few hours before broadcast, many viewers found themselves in the unusual position of watching a documentary having already read its key allegations.
Related: Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse
Those allegations are that the comedian turned political commentator and wellness guru, Russell Brand, has a history of abusive interactions with women. One woman alleges he raped her. Another says he seriously sexually assaulted her at the end of a relationship that began when she was 16 and he was 31. A third claims physical abuse and sexual assault.
As well as the allegations being known, by the time of broadcast Brand’s denial was also out there. On Friday night, Brand outed himself as the target of the investigation, releasing a video made for his millions of social media followers. He talked of “some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute”. Insisting that “the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual”, he speculated about “coordinated media attacks” with “another agenda at play”. This garnered him support from thousands of his existing followers, and new allies with an interest in self-identifying as brave media disruptors: several GB News presenters posted on social media appearing to take his side.
So with its allegations and the alleged perpetrator’s denial already known about, and even the culture-war battle lines around it already drawn, what currency does Russell Brand: In Plain Sight have? Plenty. As well as organising deeply harrowing testimony into a cogent narrative, the Dispatches film places the women’s claims into a wider context within the industry and our culture as a whole, pinpointing a collective culpability that resonates well beyond whatever one man might have done.
The allegations themselves are disturbing enough. Being able to see and hear the words spoken, even by anonymised interviewees filmed in silhouette or, in one case, replaced by an actor, lends every awful detail alleged a piercing immediacy.
Surrounding the interviews are the words of Brand himself, on stage, TV and radio. Even in the best-case scenario for Brand – the one in which all these specific, independent accusations turn out to be false – we view him as a sleazy, sexist creep because he has told us.
“Don’t be afraid of your own sexuality,” we see him tell a guest on his chatshow, in a clip dug up by Dispatches. “Do be a bit afraid of mine though.” During an interview on Conan O’Brien’s US talkshow, Brand told the host: “You don’t wanna be around when the laughter stops.” One old standup routine, joking about enjoying “them blowjobs where mascara runs a little bit”, spookily echos the exact words of one of the programme’s allegations.
The title In Plain Sight has been carefully chosen. Dispatches has found further evidence of Brand not hiding his misogyny, drawn from the same stint as a Radio 2 presenter that led to his biggest previous controversy in 2008, when he was fired for broadcasting crass voicemails he’d left for the actor Andrew Sachs. In retrospect, it is amazing Brand lasted as long as he did: Dispatches plays the audio of him making demeaning sexual remarks about his show’s female newsreader, and conducting an interview with a celebrity guest where he joked about sending his (named) female assistant to visit the star, stripped naked. The interviewee in question: Jimmy Savile.
Speaking to Dispatches, former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey boggles in retrospect at Brand’s broadcasts: “A predator, live on air on Radio 2.” Previous entertainment-industry exposes have largely concentrated on the 1970s and 80s; passing off the grim sexism of the late 00s as a distant bygone era is more difficult.
The warning about not ignoring red flags, and not indulging toxic behaviour to prioritise talent or fame, is a strong one, with acute relevance to a comedy world still riddled with misogyny: the only performer willing to be interviewed about the problem for Dispatches is Daniel Sloss, who is already known for including serious oratory about male violence in his standup routines. Why work still needs to be done – Brand is not the only comedian whose alleged behaviour is often described as an “open secret” in the industry – is summed up by a female Dispatches contributor, musing on women who might have embarked on a comedy career, met Russell Brand, then sought other employment. “Culturally, what are we missing?”
Russell Brand: In Plain Sight is available on Channel 4 now.
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