Concerns about Russell Brand’s alleged behavior during his time working on several reality shows in the mid-2000s were not “adequately addressed,” according to a new internal investigation for the entertainment company Banijay, via Variety.
The investigation looked into Brand’s time working on shows like Big Brother’s Big Mouth, Kings of Comedy, and Big Brother’s Celebrity Hijack between 2004 and 2008 (these shows were produced by Endemol, which was bought by Banijay in 2020). The report from the law firm Lewis Silkin noted that no formal complaints against Brand were ever made, but when staff members did express their concerns, “There is evidence to suggest that such behavior was tolerated as ‘Russell being Russell.’”
According to the investigation, Brand was “known to be very flirtatious with many of the women he worked with or came into contact with.” There were also reports that he would “wear just his underwear in his dressing room and would sometimes be naked in front of Endemol staff.” Brand allegedly asked “runners to obtain phone numbers of audience members,” and some female crew remembers reported “feeling uncomfortable or intimidated.”
Two witnesses said they knew about rumors that Brand would allegedly “make crew members wait outside his dressing room whilst he masturbated,” but there was “insufficient information” to prove this actually happened. Similarly, there was no evidence that Endemol crew members knew about an alleged incident with a 24-year-old runner who said Brand once “flashed his penis” when she entered his dressing room and “insinuated that she could give him oral sex.”
According to the report, it was “understood” that Brand had “entered into sexual relationships with audience members and some colleagues.” His contract reportedly did not contain any clauses that would’ve “prohibited from having sex with people he worked with.”
As for the response to the concerns about Brand’s alleged behavior, the investigation stated that, at the time, Endemol’s shows provided “minimal (if any) training” to crew and staff on how to deal with potential workplace misconduct issues. And while no formal complaints may have been brought against Brand, the investigation notes, “There was no clear escalation procedure in place for someone to follow if they wanted to raise a concern.”
A representative for Brand did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
Brand was first accused of sexual assault and rape in a Times UK investigation published last September. In the aftermath, several investigations were launched, including one by the BBC, which found five complaints were made against him between 2006 and 2008. Brand was also sued in Los Angeles last November by a woman who said he exposed himself to her on the set of the movie Arthur and sexually assaulted her in a bathroom. Brand has denied all the allegations against him.
