FOR 15 years, he toasted on the airwaves and on the comedy circuit and celebrated in Hollywood for films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek.
But Russell Brand’s increasingly bizarre conspiracy theories, online rants and political activism saw the former TV star go increasingly ‘off-grid’.
And the fatal blow to his glittering career came after a series of sexual misconduct allegations, published in September, of which five accused him of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse as part of an explosive investigation across The Times and Channel 4.
In December, the 48-year-old comedian was questioned through the Metropolitan Police about “new” old sex offences, a month after he was questioned about the initial allegations.
Brand, who denies rape, assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013, saw the ratings for his successful YouTube channel plummet and the platform suspended its revenue streams.
He was forced to cancel a series of sold-out comedy concerts in the wake of the scandal and contacted his agent.
But, incredibly, the disgraced comic – once estimated to be worth £15million – still earns £25K a WEEK.
Tanith Carey, Russell Brand’s first biographer, says: “Brand may no longer be welcome on primetime TV, but even before his mainstream career was torn apart by the allegations of rape and sexual assault, last September, he was concentrating on getting a cult following on alternative social media channels where he had more control.
“Brand now has a strong and engaged following on social media, many of whom are upset by the sexual allegations and who see them as part of the establishment’s conspiracy to silence him.
“The brand’s profits would have arguably been affected, but it still has enough of an online network to keep making money.
“He discovers that posing as a serious religious guru and revolutionary can also be lucrative. “
After shooting to fame on Big Brother’s Big Mouth, Brand was given his own show on Channel 4 and a primetime slot on Radio 2.
He went on to star in films, including Rock of Ages and Despicable Me, and his global logo was captured when he married pop superstar Katy Perry in 2010, though the ill-fated marriage only lasted 4 months.
But Brand Online, which has 6. 7 million followers on its channel, is an example of the far left, expressing revolutionary perspectives and urging its enthusiasts not to vote.
In recent years, his tune has shifted toward more radical, anti-vaxxer and COVID-denying conspiracy theories, and he has been accused of spreading pro-Russian propaganda in the wake of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine — baseless allegations that bioweapons labs are in the country.
After YouTube got rid of a post due to medical misinformation, he moved to Rumble, where his unwavering army of enthusiasts, whom he calls Awakened Wonders, still watch his conspiracy-driven rants through thousands of people.
But in an explosive Channel 4 documentary in September, the star was accused of sexual and emotional abuse by five women – four of whom were anonymous.
These revelations led his agent, Angharad Wood, to abandon him as advertisers and television companies, who had once clamored to work with him, turned their backs on him.
Although many of his main income resources have been depleted and his chances of returning seem slim, he still has a fortune after amassing millions in his heyday.
But much of their source of income now depends on conspiracy theory, the far-right community, and “off-the-grid” wellness activities.
His main TV production company, Pablo Diablo’s Legitimate Business Firm Ltd, is currently in £4,070,420 profit, and paid out over £2million in its last financial year.
He also owns two with his wife Laura, 36, sister of TV presenter Kirsty Gallagher, whom he married in 2017.
R&L Brand LLP has assets of £211,827, while their new firm Stay Free Media Ltd, set up in February 2022, has yet to file accounts.
In total, his paper fortune in the UK amounts to just £4. 2 million.
But the couple have really significant expenses after buying a £3. 3 million thatched mansion in Henley, Oxfordshire, in 2016, and The Crown Inn in nearby Pishill in December 2021 for £850,000.
The pub, which he planned to convert into a vegan restaurant, opened its doors and remains closed and fenced.
But according to Companies House, his Pablo Diablo’s firm is saddled with two charges – or mortgages – at Barclays Bank, with the company’s millions being used as collateral against the pub.
His Rumble channel, watched by an average of about 250,000 viewers, is now his main source of income.
With top Rumble creators earning £16 per 1,000 viewers, Brand is making £4,000 a show, produced five days a week – so up to £20,000 a week.
The content is usually debates about Brand’s conspiracies and monologues with questionable visitors, such as disgraced InfoWars host Alex Jones, who is facing bankruptcy after being sued for £1. 2 billion through the families of Sandy Hook victims for claiming responsibility for the 2012 shooting. that the lives of 20 young people and six adults: it was a hoax.
“Brand knows his new audience. Their videos about the pandemic and vaccines are popular,” says Tanith.
“He now has 1. 79 million fans on Rumble, double what he had on the platform in March of last year, and he can get at least 750,000 perspectives on his peak clips. “
The comedian also charges £47 a year for exclusive content from his Awakened Wonders community, on the online platform Locals. If a hundred more people signed up during the week, it would equate to £4,700.
His Stay Free podcast produces no income, and his YouTube payments have been suspended.
The presenter’s shows and podcasts, including Bake Off, QI and Big Brother have been taken down from BBC and Channel 4 streaming services since the scandal broke.
He and Laura, who have two daughters aged seven and five, will also attend the Community Wellbeing Festival in July, with tickets valued between £160 and £210, with three price brackets already sold out for 2024.
The three-day meditation and yoga event, in Hay-on-Wye, is filmed at the Crown Inn and promises “personal awakening and social change”.
It boasts: “Russell Brand and his friends will return for 3 days of camping, verbal exchange on spirituality, wellness, healthy living and our environment.
“Limber up for yoga or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, enjoy musical performances, relax with meditation and massage from a range of holistic healers on site.”
Pictures from the event, attended by 5,000 people, show children and babies taking part in activities, a young boy rolling around in the mud, and festival goers – including Brand – plunging into ice baths.
He is also seen leading a meditation organization and in ritual dances led by guru Wim Hof.
The comedian, a former heroin addict, donates all of his profits to the couple’s charity, the Stay Free Foundation, of which his wife is an administrator and which helps addicts recover.
The transformation of himself as a spiritual guru resonates with comic book enthusiasts, who in the past have starred in a show called The Messiah Complex.
“Without an in-depth, in-person psychological diagnosis, it’s impossible to know for sure whether he really does have ‘a Messiah complex’ or he’s playing on this as part of his ‘guru’ comedy persona,” says Tanith.
“Brand is showing symptoms of greatness and has himself admitted in interviews that he has narcissistic traits.
“But he is a master of reinvention. Part of his brand is as a recovered addict who wants to help others and live a spiritual life, full of yoga and meditation.
“This way of life also fits with the narrative that big industries, such as food and pharmaceutical companies, intentionally set out to harm other people’s health in order to make a profit. “
While Brand denies all allegations of assault, saying he only took part in “consensual” sex, the Channel 4 and Times investigation means a return to the mainstream is off the cards.
Officers from a special police unit dealing with “non-recent” sexual crimes following the Jimmy Savile scandal have been working closely with Scotland Yard to investigate the allegations, the Times reported in the past.
But, with the help of its unwavering following, the brand’s logo continues to thrive.
“Brand still has more than 11 million followers on Twitter – around the same as he did when the sex abuse allegations surfaced. Guests – some of whom are experts in their fields – are still lining up to go on his shows,” says Tanith.
“His output remains prolific, releasing new podcast content every day.
“He knows that the sexual abuse allegations dovetail with his audience’s confidence that the mainstream media has its own timeline and that they’ve been going after him.
Brand knows that his fans, whom he calls “his wonders of awakening,” are on the hunt for conspiracy theories, so he had a ready, primed, and waiting response.
“On the contrary, I think he’ll be proud to build an offline media empire (and prove it’s imaginable) to cause maximum disruption. “
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