Russell Brand’s Alleged Inappropriate Behavior on Endemol Shows Was Tolerated as ‘Russell Being Russell’ and Not ‘Adequately Addressed,’ Banijay Report Finds
A Banijay investigation into the bombshell allegations against Russell Brand found that during his time on shows produced by Endemol, informal complaints about the comedian’s alleged inappropriate behavior were not “adequately addressed.”
The investigation, conducted by law firm Lewis Silkin, notes that while no formal complaints were made against Brand during the production of “Big Brother’s Big Mouth,” “Kings of Comedy” and “Big Brother’s Celebrity Hijack” from 2004 to 2008, concerns had been raised by members of staff regarding his behavior, particularly in relation to “him asking runners to obtain phone numbers of audience members and female crew members feeling uncomfortable or intimidated.”
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“Brand was known to be very flirtatious with many of the women he worked with or came into contact with. He would frequently wear just his underwear in his dressing room and would sometimes be naked in front of Endemol staff,” the report states. “There is evidence to suggest that such behavior was tolerated as ‘Russell being Russell.'”
The investigation commissioned by Banijay, which acquired Endemol, notes that there was “no contractual clause in Brand’s contracts which prohibited him from having sex with people he worked with” and “was understood to have entered into sexual relationships with audience members and some colleagues.” However, the report found no evidence that crew members were aware of the alleged incident with a 24-year-old runner where she claimed he once “flashed his penis” when she went into his dressing room and “insinuated that she could give him oral sex.”
The report mentions that two witnesses were aware of a rumor that Brand would allegedly “make crew members wait outside his dressing room whilst he masturbated,” but there was ultimately “insufficient information” to conclude that this happened.
“At the time of the Programmes being recorded there was minimal (if any) training provided to crew (or anyone else) regarding respect in the workplace, the code of conduct or ethical practices,” the report concludes. “There was also no clear escalation procedure in place for someone to follow if they wanted to raise a concern.”
In September, Brand was accused of sexual assault and emotional abuse by five women, one of whom alleged rape, in an investigation published by the Sunday Times. Brand has denied the claims, saying in a YouTube video posted after the report went live that he “absolutely refutes” the “litany of astonishing, rather baroque, attacks.”
A representative for Brand did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment on the Banijay investigation.
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