Australian radio host recalls ‘inappropriate’ interview with Russell Brand and claims he was ‘overtly sexual’ – following rape allegations against the English comedian

Australian media personality Em Ruciano has opened up about her experiences with controversial comedian Russell Brand while working in radio.

The podcaster, 44, made the comments about her in Thursday’s episode Emsolation podcast.

In response to last weekend’s anonymous media allegations accusing the English comedian of rape, Em claimed she had no idea of ​​Brand’s sexual playfulness at the time, just as she did before the #MeToo era.

‘At that time we had our ‘pre-MeToo glasses’ on. He was openly sexual in the studio, but it was kind of a character,” she said.

“You almost felt special because he was shining his light on you,” she added.

Em went on to say that Brand would be reaching out to people in all parts of the studio, not just hosts, but people in “accounts.”

“And despite the weird, inappropriate things he said, we were all like…” she said, before breaking into a performance of delighted sighs.

Ruciano figured his overly sexual behavior was part of his brand.

“And in a way, we’re all complicit in encouraging that and investing in it. As a woman, I know I was certainly guilty of that and that’s me dealing with internalized misogyny,” Em admitted.

Em Rusciano accused Brand of saying “inappropriate things” but admitted she had no problem with it at the time and has only now changed her mind upon reflection

“You don’t want to be the person who says, ‘That’s not OK,’ and everyone looks at you and says, ‘Oh, you’re such a party-pooper, it’s Russell Brand!’

But Em claimed that during her radio days she was often the “party pooper,” refusing to do certain things or misrepresenting something.

However, when it came to Brand’s personality, she claimed she felt different.

“I remember feeling like I just wanted to be one of the guys when Russell Brand came in,” the podcaster said.

“And in a way, we’re all complicit in encouraging and investing in that,” she admitted. “As a woman, I know I’ve certainly been guilty of that and that’s me dealing with internalized misogyny.”

Last weekend, Brand was anonymously accused by five women of serious allegations, including rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.

Last weekend, Brand was anonymously accused by several women of serious allegations, including rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.

The comedian has denied the allegations on his popular YouTube channel, saying his relationships were “always consensual.”

The remainder of Brand’s tour of Britain has been postponed and his sponsors have chosen to distance themselves from him.

Both the BBC and Channel 4 have removed content featuring the comedian from their streaming platforms.

Video platform YouTube has taken action against Brand’s channels, banning them from monetizing ads due to an alleged violation of its ‘creator responsibility policy’.

YouTube stated that this monetization suspension applies to Russell Brand’s account, which has 6.6 million subscribers, and is due to “serious allegations against the creator.”

Four women have accused Brand of sexual assault from 2006 to 2013, and a fifth person later came forward with a claim dating back to 2003. None of Brand’s accusers have yet been publicly identified.

Google’s video service made it clear that this decision applies to all channels associated with or managed by Russell Brand.

In recent years, Brand has developed a large online following by creating videos that offer alternative views on media bias, Covid lockdowns and corporate and government abuses of power.

Four women have accused Brand of sexual assault from 2006 to 2013, and a fifth person later came forward with a claim dating back to 2003.

None of Brand’s accusers have yet been publicly identified.