Earlier this month, a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary in the UK unveiled what many regarded as an open secret in Hollywood: Russell Brand has sexually assaulted multiple women over a period of several decades and he’s been getting away with it. The allegations, while vehemently denied by Brand himself, have led to the 48-year-old comedian seeing a major drop in ad revenue, which is why he’s hoping fans will follow him over to Rumble and pay a $60 subscription fee to help a brother out.
- Perhaps unsurprisingly, many people still support Brand. He’s repeatedly tried to frame the allegations against him as a “coordinated attack” aimed at stopping him from telling the Big Truths on his social media platforms. He’s built a massive following full of right-wing conspiracy theorists, all of whom are on board with this explanation.
- Brand believes it’s “absolutely vital” that his followers support him now. In a livestream on the Rumble platform on Monday night, he revealed that in order to continue his “voyage of truth and freedom,” he would need people to subscribe to his content for $58 (£48) a year.
- Why does he need this money, exactly? Well, it turns out advertisers aren’t all that keen to give money to a guy accused of assaulting and raping multiple women. As a result, he accused the British Government of asking tech platforms to censor him, and the only one that didn’t was Rumble. That’s where he plans to maintain his “clear commitment to free speech.”
- Paying Russell Brand a subscription fee will help you “stay free.” In a speech that I imagine even made Brand cringe, he begged fans to support him financially so he could continue. “That’s the only way that we can keep our voice. I need your support now more than ever, more than I ever imagined I would,” he said in true Trumpian style. “So follow me, support our channel if you can, if it’s within your means but more important than any of that, is that you please, if you can, stay free.”
- No seriously, it’s a “real necessity.” Since it seems like the uptake from his original request wasn’t that great, Russell Brand was forced to hop on Rumble again to gently encourage his followers again to pay up. “If you can support our channel, please do, it’s become evident that this a real necessity, more than ever before. Join us over there, and if you can, please, stay free,” he said.