Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images
As is to be expected, I suppose, Russell Brand joined Dr. Oz in a panel discussion at J.D. Vance and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s second annual MAHA summit in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Even less surprising is the fact that Brand decided to kick things off with a lighthearted joke about consent.
Dr. Oz introduced Brand onstage by saying, “Russell Brand was backstage hugging the secretary of Agriculture. But here he is …” Brand replied, “She initiated that contact! I should make clear, doctor.” Several women have credibly accused Brand of sexual assault over the years — he has denied all allegations of “nonconsensual activity” but admitted to having what he described as “consensual” sex with a 16-year-old girl when he was 30. Onstage, Dr. Oz responded to the joke with a loud “Ha!”
In 2023, four women came forward with allegations that Brand sexually assaulted them between the years of 2006 and 2013. Before that, in 2014, J.P. Martin wrote in her memoir, kNot: Entanglement With a Celebrity, that Brand sexually assaulted her during their relationship in 2007. In 2025, British authorities charged Brand with one count of rape, one count of oral rape, one count of indecent assault, and two counts of sexual assault for alleged incidents involving four women between 1999 and 2005. In December, additional charges involving two more women were brought against Brand. He is currently awaiting trial, which is set for October 12. In the meantime, it seems he’s finally found an audience who enjoys his favorite kind of joke.
