Russell Brand admits to sleeping with a 16-year-old when he was 30
Russell Brand admits to sleeping with a 16-year-old when he was 30
Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAYThu, April 23, 2026 at 12:15 PM UTC
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Russell Brand departs from a hearing regarding the two latest charges against him for rape and sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court on Feb. 24, 2026, in London.
Amid his sexual misconduct case in the U.K., Russell Brand is coming clean.
The English comedian, now 50, admitted to sleeping with a 16-year-old when he was 30, explaining on the "Megyn Kelly Show" that it was legal.
"The plain fact of it is, in Europe and in the United Kingdom, where I'm from, the age of consent is 16. And I did sleep with a 16-year-old when I was 30," he told Kelly, in an episode published Wednesday, April 22. "But when I was 30, I was a very different person. I was a lot younger, and I was an immature 30-year-old."
Brand, who in February pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual assault and one charge of rape in a London court, also acknowledged the "strong power differential" as a "famous man" while having "consensual sex with lots of lots of women."
"I think [it] involves exploitation. It is exploitative," he continued. "I recognize that my sexual conduct in the past was selfish. I did not apply enough consideration, barely any I suppose, really, to how that sex was affecting other people."
Brand, appearing at Southwark Crown Court in London, denied nearly two-decade-old accusations of raping one unnamed woman and sexually assaulting another, months after London's Metropolitan Police announced the charges.
In an Instagram video posted at the time, Brand seemed to address the new charges, telling followers that "this is a time of great darkness" and calling out people who use "bureaucracy increasingly to legitimize authority."
"I feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to atone for the many things over the years that I did wrong, and the opportunity to ensure that people understand the truth of my situation and scenario," he said to the camera. "I pray, Lord, that anyone that I've ever harmed or hurt in my years of mindlessness in sin would be healed. And I pray, Lord, for the absolute truth of who I am to be abundantly revealed."
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Russell Brand assault allegations date back to 1999
The comedian-turned-YouTuber was also charged last year with two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault against four women between 1999 and 2005. Brand pleaded not guilty to those five charges in May and is due to stand trial in June.
Brand argued that he did not sleep with women without consent, but that it is his promiscuity that needs to be "redeemed and addressed and atoned for."
"You can argue that that's not appropriate," Brand said. "But the age of consent is an important thing. The ability to consent is an important thing. And what fame gave me, what addiction fueled was opportunity for endless consent, which led me to be a hedonist and a fool and an exploiter of women."
Russell Brand takes the stage during AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center on Dec. 18, 2025.
Brand, who celebrated 23 years of being "clean and sober" from drugs and alcohol in December, said he falls into the category of "innocuous and party boy style exploiter."
"You're right to be angry with [me] as a woman who, given what I know about you in the industry you've worked in, I'm sure that you have personal reasons for feeling aggrieved towards powerful men," Brand told Kelly, who made sexual harassment allegations against late Fox News CEO Roger Ailes as an anchor at the network. "It's plainly something that exists within our industry and one might say culture at large."
In recent years, the "Get Him to the Greek" star and former U.K. radio host has leaned into his newfound Christian faith and was baptized with the help of Bear Grylls in 2024. He's found success as a media personality by posting news and conservative political commentary, which has espoused various conspiracy theories.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson and Edward Segarra, USA TODAY; Michael Holden, Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russell Brand slept with 16-year-old when he was 30, he admits
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