Russell Brand’s close friends and confidantes are rallying to defend the comedian in the wake of the shocking rape and sexual misconduct allegations made against him. They emphasize that although the comedian is ‘rude, arrogant and offensive’, he is ‘not a monster’. .
The 48-year-old British-born movie star has been drug-free since 2002, and according to a woman who has known him since his early days in recovery, those in his sober circle are “shocked” by the abuse allegations he is now facing.
Four women came forward with claims they were victims of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse by Russell between 2006 and 2013 in a joint investigation by the Sunday Times and Channel 4 this weekend.
Now sources close to the comedian – who has vehemently denied all allegations – have come forward to express their shock at the claims, while revealing the brutal toll the scandal has had on his wife, Laura Gallacher.
‘Everyone is shocked at the moment. Russell has been a driving force in the recovery of so many people over the years and has helped thousands of people get clean by sharing his powerful story,” one woman who went through recovery with Russell and wished to remain anonymous, told DailyMail.com.
Russell Brand, 48, pictured at a 2017 event for his book Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions, receives support from a close friend from his sobriety circle who has been left ‘shocked’
Brand’s wife Laura Gallacher, seen on a walk in London in 2017, is a “wreck” at the moment, a source close to the couple exclusively told DailyMail.com
‘He is always ready and is very involved in his recovery. He works with a team of new addicts to help them get sober, too.”
Another source, who met Brand as he rose to fame, claimed he never “crossed the line.”
‘I have seen Russell in intimate settings, but also at major events with celebrities on the red carpet. He is always himself and although he is very flirty because that is his nature, I have not seen him cross the line,” the Hollywood insider told DailyMail.com.
‘Russell is vulgar. He’s rough. He has built a personality as a sexual playboy. He has slept with countless women and he will tell you this.
‘He is also offensive and arrogant, but he never struck me as a monster. He is actually very good to those he cares about. He has friends who will stand up in court to vouch for his character when he needs them.”
The once promiscuous actor, who was infamously named “Shagger of the Year,” married Gallacher in 2017, six years after splitting from his first wife, Katy Perry. The couple have daughters, Mabel and Peggy, and are awaiting the birth of their third child.
She is struggling with the “emotional toll” of the allegations, according to his level-headed friend, who claimed Brand has always been “transparent” with his wife.
“Laura is a wreck right now,” they said. “She’s pregnant, which makes this even more crushing for her because of the emotional toll pregnancy itself takes on a woman.
According to a Hollywood insider who has known Brand, pictured during a photo shoot for Trashy Lingerie in 2008, for years, the comedian is “gross and vulgar” but “not a monster.”
The stand-up comic, which featured Burlesque dancers at the 2007 Brit Awards, is ‘flirty in nature’, says an entertainment industry insider.
“She believes Russell is a great father and husband and that they have been through so much. Russell has always been transparent with her.”
The allegations have sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and forced the BBC and Channel 4 – for whom Brand worked during the time the alleged incidents took place – to launch urgent investigations.
Laura – the sister of Sky Sports presenter Kirsty Gallacher and daughter of golfer Bernard Gallacher, 87 – has yet to break her silence. It looks like she deleted her Instagram account.
After news of his alleged behavior came to light, another source revealed to DailyMail.com that Laura would have his back.
‘What Russell did was definitely in the past, long before he and Laura met. Of course it is not easy, but they are determined to get through this,” the friend said.
Sky Sports star Kirsty appeared to back her brother-in-law, sharing Brand’s YouTube video denial posted on Friday evening, hours before the allegations were made public.
But the TV star – who introduced her sister to Brand in 2007 – later deleted her Instagram ‘story’, which was posted with a large red love heart.
On his channel, the former MTV star said he had received two “extremely disturbing letters” detailing “a litany of extremely blatant and aggressive attacks, which are not true.”
Former wife Katy Perry, seen with Brand at the 2010 Academy Awards, has not spoken out about the allegations against her ex-husband
The comedian has denied allegations of rape and sexual assault by four women
A woman claimed Brand raped her against the wall in his Los Angeles home.
A second woman alleged he abused her and called her “the child” during an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship when he was 31 and she was 16 and still in school.
A third woman alleged that the comedian sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in Los Angeles and that he threatened her with legal action if she told anyone.
While the fourth alleged that she was sexually abused by Brand, who she said physically and emotionally abused her.
The BBC, Channel 4 and production company Banijay have launched an investigation into his conduct, while the Met Police are investigating a report of a sexual assault in Soho in 2003.
YouTube has also suspended him from making money from the site, and the remaining dates for his Bipolarisation tour in Britain have been postponed.
Brand, who was fired from BBC Radio 2 after leaving a series of lewd messages for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter, previously battled drug and alcohol addiction and sought treatment for sex addiction.
In December 2022, he took to Instagram to thank his friends and family for his sobriety.
‘Today I have been clean and sober for twenty years. It is December 13th. So first I wanted to express my gratitude to all the people who helped me stay clean and sober,” he said in a video message.
He also stated that he believed that achieving and maintaining sobriety “never happens alone,” and that “although it is often seen and celebrated as a personal achievement – it is essentially a community and spiritual achievement.”
The stand-up comic assured his followers that if someone is struggling with addiction, “it is possible to change things.”
“There is a way back to dignity, there is a way back to responsible and caring behavior – those things are all possible,” he said.