Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian, actor, podcaster, and media personality. He established himself as a stand-up comedian and radio host before becoming a film actor. Over the course of his career, Brand has been the subject of frequent media coverage for issues such as his promiscuity, drug use, political views, provocative behaviour at various award ceremonies, his dismissal from MTV, and his resignation from the BBC amid a prank call controversy. Beginning in 2013, Brand became known as a public activist and campaigner, and has spoken on a wide range of political and cultural issues, initially with a liberal bent and then turning sharply rightward amid the COVID pandemic in 2019. In September 2023, following a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's documentary series Dispatches, five women publicly accused Brand of sexual assault and sexual and emotional abuse. He has since been charged with multiple counts of rape, oral rape, indecent assault, and sexual assault. In 2025, he was the reported subject of a civil action case filed in New York state, accusing him of sexual assault whilst intoxicated during the filming of Arthur in 2010. <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Russell+Brand">Read more on Last.fm</a>. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.