A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London found comedian Russell Brand guilty on Thursday of one rape and three sexual assaults against four women between 2004 and 2009. It cleared him of two other rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The rape happened at his London home in 2009. Judge Joel Bennathan sent Brand, 51, straight to custody and told him a "significant custodial term" is inevitable. The judge will sentence him on Monday. Police are still investigating rape allegations from two more women and have sent files on both to prosecutors. The accusations first came out in a 2023 Channel 4 investigation. By then, Brand had built a big online following around wellness and conspiracy theories. He later moved to Florida and was baptised in 2024.

A Jury Believed Four Women, and His Fame Didn't Save Him

Prosecutors, police, and the journalists who broke the story say the system worked.

He used his fame to get to women. David Roberts, a senior prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, called Brand "predatory" and said he "used his celebrity status to commit sexual crimes." Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Metropolitan Police said that as Brand's profile grew, "so too did his sense of entitlement." Brand himself told the jury that as he got more famous, he was "very comfortable allowing that to facilitate sexual access."

He's famous, and he still didn't get a pass. Furphy said he hopes the verdict sends "a clear message that no one is above the law." Farah Nazeer, chief executive of the charity Women's Aid, said high-profile men "must be held accountable for their actions."

Reporters broke the story first. Louisa Compton, Channel 4's director of news, digital and audience trust, said the outcome "belongs to all of the women who had the courage to speak out." She called it proof of why investigative journalism matters. Rosamund Urwin, the Sunday Times chief news correspondent who worked on the 2023 investigation, said, "I'm pleased justice has been done."

His Defenders Say a Documentary Reshaped Old Memories

His lawyers and podcast host Megyn Kelly say the women only went to police after a 2023 documentary, and the trial couldn't be fair.

They say the women's memories changed after the documentary. Brand's lawyers argued the women only went to police years later, after the 2023 documentary aired. Brand said the encounters were consensual or had been "reinvented or reimagined." Podcast host Megyn Kelly called the conviction a "travesty" on her show. She said she agrees with his team that the women were "convinced into re-imagining what had happened to them."

They say he never had a fair shot. Before the trial, his barrister, Ian Winter, argued that the press coverage made it "impossible to persuade witnesses" to testify for Brand. Brand told the jury he had no friend or colleague who could speak for him, though his wife testified for him. In 2023, he called the reports "a coordinated attack" over his views.

His family can't believe it. His father, Ron Brand, told the BBC, "I just didn't expect this, it's wrong. It's devastating."

Critics Say His Fans and Backers Enabled Him

Columnists on the right and left, and a Christian writer, say the people who cheered him on share the blame.

Critics say too many people put up with him for too long. Alexander Larman, a writer for The Spectator, wrote that the verdict is "an indictment of those who not only tolerated Brand but enabled him." He compared the case to Jimmy Savile, the late BBC presenter and sex offender. On Thursday, the BBC repeated its earlier apology for "the culture and failings at the time."

His online fans treated him like a guru. Brendan O'Neill, a columnist at the British magazine spiked, wrote that "the midwits and lightweights of both left and right built an altar" to Brand. About 2.2 million people follow his channel on Rumble. Tech billionaire Elon Musk wrote in 2023 that he supported Brand and that "that man is not evil." Tony Peters of the anti-extremism magazine Searchlight noted Thursday that Musk and other big backers have said nothing since the verdict.

Critics say church figures vouched for him too fast. Adventurer Bear Grylls took part in Brand's baptism in the Thames in 2024. He later said the conversion was authentic. Evangelist J John called the conversion "genuine." By 2024, he was leading a weekly Bible study with Brand over Zoom. Natalie Collins, a Christian writer who campaigns against abuse, wrote Thursday that "supposedly gifted Christian men" had been "delighted to pose" with Brand. She said J John, Grylls, and evangelist Greg Downes were "nowhere to be seen" as character witnesses. None of them had commented on the verdict by Thursday evening, U.S. time.

Where This Lands

Prosecutors and police say the jury believed four women, and Brand's fame didn't protect him. His defenders, including Megyn Kelly, say a documentary reshaped old memories and he never got a fair trial. A third group says his fans and backers enabled him. Those backers have gone quiet since the verdict. Brand will learn his sentence on Monday. Police have already sent prosecutors files on two more women.

Sources