Katherine Ryan appears to have made a point about consent when it comes to answering questions about Russell Brand.
Last weekend, Brand, 48, was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse by four women as part of a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4’s Dispatches. He has strongly denied all allegations, stating that all of his sexual relationships were consensual.
Comments previously made by Ryan have resurfaced in the wake of the allegations.
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In 2022, Ryan, 40, discussed an incident in which she called out a co-star on a TV set for sexual abuse during an episode of her Prime Video series Backstage with Katherine Ryan.
She did not name the alleged abuser, but when questioned on the subject again in an episode of BBC’s Louis Theroux Interviews… in November 2022, said that she believed him to be a “perpetrator of sexual assault” but said the conversation is “a litigious minefield”.
Ryan reiterated that the allegations were “not my story to tell” as “no one has perpetrated any sexual assaults against me”.
Ryan said that she ‘has nothing else to say’ on matter— (PA)
Earlier this week, Deadline reported that it has confirmed with multiple sources that Brand was furious after Ryan allegedly called him a “sexual predator” repeatedly during filming for the first season of Comedy Central’s Roast Battle in 2018.
He quit the show after six episodes and was replaced by Jonathan Ross. The alleged predator remarks were not aired.
In the latest episode of Ryan’s podcast released on Thursday (21 September), the comedian seemed to express her frustration at being asked about Brand since the allegations against him were made public.
“I have nothing else to say about anything…” she said, not mentioning him by name. “Apart from, I guess, just a passing observation that when a woman says, ‘No, I don’t want to engage in that conversation’; ‘No I have no comment on that story’; ‘No, I won’t be confirming or denying or participating at all about anything in the news right now’, her consent is valid.”
Ryan continued: “No is a full sentence.
“Why is my consent totally unimportant when we are speaking a lot in the press right now about issues surrounding the importance of consent?” she said.
Brand has denied the allegations against him— (PA)
Following the investigation into Brand, the BBC and Channel 4 have vowed to investigate the claims against him.
In the wake of the allegations, Channel 4, Paramount+, and BBC have also removed programmes featuring Brand from their catalogues.
Meanwhile, YouTube has suspended adverts on Brand’s channels, effectively demonetising his account, citing a violation of website policy. He will still be allowed to upload new videos.
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.
If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
