UK comedian Russell Brand in court on two new rape charges

Actor and comedian Russell Brand appeared before a UK court on January 20, 2026 facing two new charges of rape and sexual assault. Photo / Olivier Touron, AFP

Actor and comedian Russell Brand has appeared before a UK court facing two new charges of rape and sexual assault.

The new charges against Brand, 50, were brought in December 2025 and relate to two alleged incidents with separate women in London in 2009.

In May last year, he had already pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault for alleged incidents involving four different women between 1999 and 2005.

Appearing remotely via video-link wearing a partially buttoned pale blue shirt, Brand, the ex-husband of popstar Katy Perry, only spoke to confirm his name and his date of birth.

He was granted conditional bail and is due to appear again in Southwark Crown Court in south London on February 17 for a pre-trial hearing.

He was originally charged after an investigation conducted by the Sunday Times newspaper and Channel 4 television in 2023, which included several allegations of a sexual nature against him.

A trial is set to begin at Southwark Crown Court in June on the five original charges.

Brand is a former stand-up comedian who gained Hollywood fame in the early 2010s. He married singer Perry in 2010, although the two divorced in 2012.

Once a left-leaning political campaigner and Hollywood star, he has rebranded himself as a conservative guru to his millions of social media followers.

In 2024, he said he became a Christian after being baptised in the River Thames.

- Agence France-Presse