Russell Brand Breaks Silence on Sexual Assault Allegations: Exclusive Statement

Russell Brand, who is facing accusations of rape and sexual assault, expressed his gratitude to his followers for critically examining the information they have received. However, he did not directly address these claims in a YouTube video he released on Friday evening. In the video, the British comedian, who vehemently denies the allegations, discussed the challenges he had faced over the past week and accused the UK government of attempting to silence him.

Last Saturday, British news sources The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4's "Dispatches" conducted a collaborative investigation where four women accused Brand of sexually assaulting them in different incidents between 2006 and 2013. One of the women mentioned that she was 16 years old while Brand was 31 at the time of the alleged assault in London.

In accordance with The Times, the women opted to remain anonymous in the report, and CNN has not been able to authenticate their allegations.

Two of the reported assaults occurred in Los Angeles. A woman sought treatment at a rape treatment center on the same day as one of the alleged assaults, as mentioned in the report. The center contacted the police, however, the woman decided not to file a report, stating that she didn't believe her words would hold any significance against the accused. A transcript from the rape center, shared with The Times, revealed her perspective.

During the clip, 48-year-old Brand did not specifically acknowledge the accusations made against him. Instead, he focused on discussing the censorship attempts he has encountered online.

You're likely aware that the British government has requested major tech platforms to censor our online content, and some platforms have indeed complied," he stated.

What you might be unaware of is that this occurs within the framework of the online safety bill, a piece of legislation in the UK that gives extensive surveillance and censorship authority. This law has already been enacted."

The online safety bill in the UK has passed its final Parliamentary debate, but it is still pending to become law. This bill mandates social media platforms to remove illegal content and criminalizes certain online activities. In anticipation of the documentary's release, Brand took to his verified Instagram account to deny the allegations.

He gained fame as a comedian and actor, but in recent times, he has established a YouTube channel that has faced accusations of promoting conspiracy theories, including denying the existence of Covid.

Following the emergence of these allegations, YouTube has demonetized Brands' channel, and his live tour has been postponed.

CNNs Lauren Kent and Dan Heching contributed reporting.