YouTube has blocked Russell Brand from making money off its platform in the wake of rape and sexual assault allegations against the comedian and actor.
The online platform said in a statement Tuesday that it had “suspended monetization” on Brand‘s channel for violating its “creator responsibility policy,” British news agency PA Media Group reported.
“If a creator’s off-platform behavior harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community,” YouTube said, according to PA.
Brand has developed a major following on his YouTube channel in recent years, amassing more than 6.61 million subscribers with videos cultivating something of a “wellness” persona and sharing conspiracy theories.
The suspension comes after multiple sexual assault allegations against the British star were published over the weekend, with Brand, 48, accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse by four women in a joint investigation by the Times of London, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.
Brand has denied the allegations and said his relationships have all been consensual.
In a video posted to his social media accounts prior to the publication of the allegations, the comedian said he had received “extremely disturbing” communications from a mainstream TV company and a newspaper “listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks.”
“But amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” Brand said.
On Monday, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said it was investigating a report of an alleged sexual assault in 2003 in the wake of allegations against Brand.
The police department told NBC News it received a report of sexual assault against Brand on Sunday, a day after the publication of the investigation and the airing of a documentary on the subject on Saturday.
The incident was alleged to have occurred in 2003 in London’s Soho neighborhood, the Met said.
“We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us,” the department said.
NBC News has not spoken to any of the accusers or independently confirmed any of the allegations against Brand.
In the wake of the allegations, Brand has postponed upcoming U.K. comedy shows.
His management announced on Monday that it would be suspending the end of his current comedy tour, “Bipolarisation.”
“We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows, we don’t like doing it — but we know you’ll understand,” the statement said.
It was not immediately clear whether the dates would be rescheduled.
Tavistock Wood Management Agency said Sunday that they had dropped Brand as a client after they said they were “horribly misled” by him.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
