Russell Brand’s alleged acts of sexual harassment while he worked at the BBC have been revealed in an internal investigation conducted by the broadcaster.
On Thursday, the BBC published the findings of a 15-page review carried out into Brand’s alleged misconduct, after the 49-year-old star faced various allegations, including sexual harassment, in an expose released in 2023.
The review was conducted by Peter Johnston, the BBC’s director of editorial complaints and reviews, at the request of director-general Tim Davies. They investigated several complaints made about Brand from when he worked on BBC radio between 2006 and 2008.
One of the complaints that was looked into involved Brand allegedly following a female staffer into the bathroom of the BBC’s Los Angeles bureau and exposing himself to her, moments before prerecording a show.
Once on-air, the comedian allegedly made a joke about how he had exposed himself to a woman 25 minutes earlier.
The woman was named “Olivia” in the review, which stated that she “felt embarrassed and did not want to raise it or talk about it, so instead treated it lightly when it came up.” The review said she formally complained about the alleged situation over 10 years later.
Johnson’s report claimed that the alleged incident “was fairly common knowledge” at the LA office, and was “joked about” by the staff for years.
“Olivia is understandably concerned about the management accountability for what happened, disappointed that no one came back to her in a satisfactory way in 2019 having finally raised the concern and is most concerned about why no one picked up on the on-air reference in 2008,” the review stated.
The investigation also claimed that while BBC staffers found Brand “demanding and difficult to work with and his behavior extreme,” they felt that “there was no point in complaining as they believed he would not be listened to.”
Another formal complaint lodged at Brand stated that he allegedly urinated in a cup in the Radio 2 studio in 2007 and allegedly “threw objects in anger” when a production staffer made a mistake.
In addition to published findings of the investigation, the BBC also apologized to staff members who felt they couldn’t raise complaints about Brand’s alleged misconduct.
Metropolitan Police are currently investigating Brand. He’s been interviewed by authorities three times since September 2023, according to the BBC.
The Post has reached out to Brand’s rep for comment.
In Sept. 2023, British media outlets Channel 4 and the Sunday Times published claims by four women of being sexually assaulted or raped by Brand between 2006 and 2013, at the height of his fame. The accusers have not been identified.
The “Get Him to the Greek” actor denied the allegations, saying his relationships were “always consensual.”
He also said he believed he was the subject of a “coordinated attack” and he was going to look into the matter because it was “very, very serious.”
Brand later posted a video on social media in which he begged his fans for their support as well as financial help after what he described as a “distressing week.”
Brand resigned from the BBC in 2008.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
