YouTube executive says Russell Brand will not be completely banned from the platform
The comedian, who faces allegations of rape and sexual assault, had his account demonetized earlier this week.
A YouTube executive said that Russell Brand will not be completely banished from the platform. Brand, who has been accused of sexual assault and rape by four women, used YouTube to deny the allegations. His account was demonetized earlier this week, meaning he will not be able to make any income through YouTube itself, or by selling adverts.
Brand will not face an outright ban from YouTube, however, according to its Europe, Middle East, and Africa Vice President Pedro Pina. Variety reports that Pina spoke at the Royal Television Society conference in Cambridge, U.K on Wednesday where he was quizzed on the decision to intervene on Brand's account. "Essentially, he is not able to make a living through YouTube," Pina said. "We don’t believe that should happen."
However, Pina said that the comedian's content does not warrant a ban, “We don’t tolerate harmful content. Right now, from our point of view, we don’t have harmful content by Russell Brand.”
Brand emerged as a stand-up comedian, TV host, and star of Hollywood movies including Get Him To The Greek and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. However, in recent years he has moved his output online and found a vast audience for daily uploads in which discussion routinely veers into conspiracy theory chat and anti-vax opinion. He has not shared any new videos since news of the allegations broke over the weekend.
The report into Brand's behavior between 2006-2013 has led U.K. broadcasters Channel 4 and the BBC to remove content featuring the comedian from their streaming platforms. Brand has also been dropped by his talent agency and his U.K. publisher Bluebird, who were due to publish his new book Recovery: The Workbook, in December.