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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent

‘There are dozens of Russell Brands’: female comedians say abuse is rife

Russell Brand on stage holding a microphone
Russell Brand on stage in London in 2014. Women say the comedy industry’s culture prevents them from speaking out. Photograph: Olivia Harris/Reuters

“When I was 18 I had an incident with a powerful male comedian in his 30s,” says Lucy (name changed), a female comic in her early 30s. “It was really harrowing and triggering. But when I raised it with other comics at the time they just encouraged me to use the incident as comedy material.”

This experience, Lucy says, demonstrates why comedians are reluctant to come forward about inappropriate behaviour, harassment or abuse.

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