Paramount+ has removed Russell Brand’s stand-up special, “Russell Brand in New York,” following the sexual assault allegations against him.
The comedian’s 2009 special is no longer available to stream on the platform. Search results for “Russell Brand” on Paramount+ now only produce two results: “Katy Perry the Movie: Part of Me” and the “Roast of David Hasselhoff.” The former includes scenes of Perry dealing with the collapse of her marriage with Brand. The comedian appears in background footage in the latter.
As for other stateside streamers, another one of Brand’s specials — “Russell Brand: Re:Birth” — is still available to stream on Netflix. It’s rare for Netflix to take down original specials, movies or shows after creators land in hot water. Kevin Spacey’s “House of Cards,” for instance, is still available to stream on the platform. Louis C.K.’s “2017,” “Hilarious” and “Live at the Comedy Store” stand-up specials are also available, along with “The Ranch,” which stars the recently convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
Paramount did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. Netflix declined to comment for this story.
Paramount+ is the first U.S. streamer to pull Brand’s programming. Shortly after the report from Channel 4 and newspapers The Times and The Sunday Times was published, Channel 4 removed content from its streaming platforms that featured Brand. Earlier this week, the BBC followed suit, pulling content from the comedian from its iPlayer and sound sites.
On Saturday, four anonymous women accused Brand of sexually assaulting them between 2006 and 2013. One of the women was 16 at the time of the alleged incident, the age of consent in Britain. Brand has denied all allegations against him.
Backlash to the comedian has been swift. Brand’s talent agency, Tavistock Wood, dropped him, though it was later revealed that a report was made to the agency from an accuser in 2020. In the days since, Brand’s book deal has been paused and his live shows postponed. YouTube has taken ads off his videos, thereby no longer allowing him to make money off of its platform.
Channel 4 has launched an internal investigation into Brand’s behavior.
