Jacob Stolworthy
Sat, 16 September 2023
In this article:
Sara Pascoe
English writer, stand-up comedian and actress
Katherine Ryan
Canadian-Irish comedian
Sara Pascoe has said that several comedians have tried “setting up a union” to stop “predators” in the industry.
The stand-up comic made the revelation in a new interview with The Independent, saying that these comedians hoped “a good enough union” might have prevented predatory behaviour.
Her remarks come as comedian and actor Russell Brand was accused of sexually assaulting four women in an investigation by The Times. Brand has denied the allegations and says all of his relationships have been consensual.
Speaking in the interview that was published on Saturday (16 September), Pascoe, who did not name any alleged predators, said: “We kept thinking that’s the problem – if we had a good enough union, there’d be a place where you could go and say ‘there’s this person getting women drunk at festivals and taking advantage of them.”
However, the comedian said that libel law has made this impossible, meaning it’s hard to accuse or name someone without clear proof. “You can’t just tweet about it,” Pascoe said.
She went on to allude to the existence of at least two alleged predators in the comedy industry, one of whom she said is “a man that’s assaulted men”.
Pascoe said that “fame really complicates” the situation when it comes to making an accusation. Referring to one of the comedians she previously alluded to, Pascoe said: “If you do the same job as someone, and they’re successful and you’re not – which is what’s happened with this particular predator – you have this horrible thing happen to you at the beginning of your career and you want to continue in that career.”
She continued: “Are you going to be believed? Are people going to take that person’s side? Are you going to be accused of trying to make yourself famous? Their literal choice is: am I known forever as the person that person assaulted? Do I want everyone in comedy to know this about me? All you can do is offer better support as an industry.”
In June 2022, Pascoe appeared on Prime Video series Backstage with Katherine Ryan, in which Ryan said to her: “I’ve done a show with someone who you and I believe is a predator.”
Ryan then said that Pascoe knew the alleged predator, stating: “I raised it. I called him a predator to his face and in front of everyone every day. What am I supposed to do? It’s such a messy thing because I don’t have proof. What, am I not supposed to feed my children because of someone else?”
Sara Pascoe says there are predators in the comedy industry
During an interview with Louis Theroux on TV series Louis Theroux Interviews shortly after, Ryan called the accusations "an open secret", but said they are “a litigious minefield”. The comedian, who said “no one has perpetrated any sexual assaults against me”, called out the unnamed comedian’s “predatory” behaviour on set.
“This person, I believe very strongly – many people believe very strongly – is an open secret, is a perpetrator of sexual assault,” she said. “I, in front of loads of people, in the format of the show said to this person’s face that they are a predator.”
NEWS WIRES
Sun, 17 September 2023
© Tim Ireland, AP
British comedian and actor Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse during a seven-year period, according to the results of a media investigation published Saturday.
Four women have alleged sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013 when Brand was at the height of his fame working as a presenter for BBC Radio 2, Channel 4 and acting in Hollywood movies, a newspaper said.
The allegations, which Brand denies, were made in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, the Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.
According to the investigation, published in the Sunday Times, others have made a range of accusations about Brand's controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour.
In a video released on Friday, Brand, 48, denied the "very serious criminal allegations" that he said will be made against him.
He said he received letters from a TV company and a newspaper listing "a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks".
"Amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute," he said in the video clip posted online.
He said "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".
(AFP)
Who is Daniel Sloss?
The comedian who spoke out about
Russell Brand
Emilia Kettle Sun, 17 September 2023
Daniel Sloss appeared in Channel 4's Dispatches. (Image: PA/Channel 4)
Comedian Daniel Sloss has spoken out against actor and comedian Russell Brand.
It comes after The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches did a joint investigation into Brand after allegations were made by four women.
The women accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse while he was at the height of his fame, between 2006 and 2013.
On Saturday, September 16, Channel 4 Dispatches aired a special on Brand exposing the allegations against the comedian.
Russell Brand: In Plain Sight, shared the stories of the four women and saw one comedian discuss the allegations.
Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss chose not to be anonymous and revealed he first heard rumours of Brand over a decade ago.
Who is Daniel Sloss?
Daniel Sloss is a comedian who began working with fellow Scottish comic Frankie Boyle.
Helping Boyle write jokes, Sloss debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2008 with his show ‘Life in 2D’.
Sloss continued to perform at Fringe and later did a UK tour in 2012, Daniel Sloss- The Show.
After gaining global acclaim, Sloss had a Netflix two-hour special in 2018 and toured the world with his show ‘NOW’.
Continuing to perform, in 2021 the comedian published his first book, ‘Everyone You Hate is Going to Die’.
What did Daniel Sloss say about Russell Brand?
Channel 4’s Dispatches, Sloss claimed that female comedians had a WhatsApp ground warning each other of people they had uncomfortable experiences with.
Discussing the WhatsApp group, Sloss said: “I know for many many years women have been warning each other about Russell” adding there were “many stories with varying degrees of severity.”
Sloss said: “He was a big name, big big household name. If you were a comedian and got to gig with him you'd be gigging with a celebrity.
“I'm stood in bars with agents, promoters, channel commissioners and I'm hearing these allegations and rumours with Russell in the same room, and later on he would be on a movie, on a television show, he would be hosting something. He was still being employed
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