Russell Brand has broken his silence claiming he has faced an "extraordinary and distressing week" following the sexual assault allegations made against him.
The 48-year-old comedian has been at the center of disturbing allegations regarding abusive and predatory behavior after four women came forward, all of which he has vehemently denied.
The shocking accusations against the British star - which include the alleged rape of a woman at his home in Los Angeles and the alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old schoolgirl - were highlighted in The Sunday Times and Channel 4's documentary Dispatches which aired last weekend.
Brand categorically denied the allegations, which are reported to span the years from 2006 to 2013 when Brand was at the pinnacle of his career, in a video released to his YouTube channel the night before the documentary aired.
Watch Brand break his silence below:On Friday (September 22) - a week after the published report - Brand took to his Instagram, Rumble, and X (formerly Twitter) to address the disturbing claims in a short three-minute video.
The actor started off by saying that it was an "extraordinary and distressing week" and thanked his followers for their "support and for questioning the information that you have been presented with".
He went on to announce he would be returning his show on Rumble - an online video platform where subscribers pay a minimum $60 fee to watch - after adverts on his YouTube channel were suspended in light of the allegations.
The comic also accused the British government of ordering that big technology platforms censor his online content and took a swipe at his former employer the BBC for its "trusted news initiative" that tackles fake news.
"I also don't imagine that you've heard of the trusted news initiative and now, as often is the case when a word like trusted is used as part of an acronym to describe an unelected body, trust is the last thing you should be offering," he said.
"The trusted news initiative is a collaboration between big tech and legacy media organizations to target, patrol, choke, and shut down independent media organizations, like this one," he added.
The Hollywood star concluded his video by pleading to his followers, saying: "I need your support now, more than ever, and more than I ever imagined I would. Please, if you can, stay free."
The video comes after Sharon Osbourne - who claims to have known Brand for "going on 20 years" - hit out at the comedian over his previous negative interactions with Bob Geldof and his daughter Fifi and Rod Stewart and his loved ones.
Osbourne's comments were in reference to an incident that unfolded between Stewart and Brand at the GQ Man of the Year awards, as reported by The Mirror.
Standing on the stage, Brand said: "Here's to Rod Stewart who had a go at me earlier this year for too much womanizing. But then again I did have a go on his daughter."
Later in the evening, Stewart took to the stage and said: "You went with my daughter, did you? Russell, stand up." Responding to Sir Rod's demand, Russell quipped: "I took her out for one evening," as Stewart replied: "Did you behave yourself?"
After Brand said: "I never touched that girl," Stewart replied: "F***ing right you didn't. You musn't come up here and boast. I speak here as a father."
Speaking about the moment to Piers Morgan on his TalkTV show, Osbourne said: "The only thing I can say about Russell Brand, is the two things I don’t like, was when he spoke about… one of them is a very good friend of ours, Kimberley Stewart, about what he had done to Kimberley Stewart in front of her father [Rod Stewart].
"And then he did the same with Sir Bob Geldof… You just don't do that to people's families, when that father is in the room. He's done it twice now and that's the thing that sticks with me," she added.
Brand has denied all allegations against him, while the Metropolitan Police are urging any alleged victims to come forward.