Russell Brand Addresses Past Relationship with a 16-Year-Old, Calls Conduct “Exploitative” [WATCH]

Russell Brand said during a recent interview that he had a sexual encounter with a 16-year-old when he was 30, describing his past conduct as “exploitative” while continuing to deny multiple allegations filed against him in the United Kingdom, as reported by EW.

Brand made the remarks during an appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show, where he discussed his past behavior and the legal challenges he is currently facing. The 50-year-old English comedian has been involved in a series of legal cases in the U.K. since 2023 involving allegations of sexual misconduct, all of which he has denied.

During the interview, Brand addressed a past relationship and acknowledged the dynamics involved.

“The plain fact of it is, in Europe and in the United Kingdom, where I’m from, the age of consent is 16. And I did sleep with a 16-year-old when I was 30. But when I was 30, I was a very different person. I was a lot younger, and I was an immature 30-year-old.”

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Brand continued by discussing broader patterns in his past relationships, including what he described as significant differences in status and influence.

“When you’re a famous man that has the ability to attract women that I had at that time, I think involves exploitation. I think it is exploitative,” he said.

“I recognized that my sexual conduct in the past was selfish, and I did not apply enough consideration — barely any, I suppose, really — to how that sex was affecting other people.”

He also referenced what he described as “consensual sex [with] a variety of people, when there is a strong power differential,” acknowledging that such a dynamic existed in the encounter he described.

Russell Brand says he slept with a 16-year-old when he was 30. https://t.co/I6DFi4uXNG

Credit: The Megyn Kelly Show pic.twitter.com/nzd7TX8XBI— TMZ (@TMZ) April 22, 2026

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Brand rose to prominence in the late 2000s through roles in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. More recently, he provided voice work for the 2023 animated film Under the Boardwalk.

His legal situation stems from allegations first reported in 2023 following a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches.

Four women accused him of misconduct, with alleged incidents dating from 1999 to 2005. Two months later, an additional accusation was made involving an actress who alleged misconduct on the set of the film Arthur.

Brand has denied all allegations. In statements made following the initial reports, he said, “I absolutely refute” the claims, according to NBC News.

Court proceedings have continued into 2025. Brand pleaded not guilty to charges including indecent assault and sexual assault in May 2025. He later faced an additional count of both sexual assault and another serious charge, and again entered a not guilty plea in February.

“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. And as I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous,” Brand said previously.

“Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then — almost too transparent — and I’m being transparent about it now as well.”

Entertainment Weekly reported it reached out to a representative for Brand for comment, but did not receive a response.

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