The BBC is investigating a claim that Russell Brand flashed a woman before laughing about it on his radio show.
The incident allegedly happened in 2008 when the woman was working in the same building as the corporation’s office in Los Angeles, BBC News reported.
Minutes later, the comedian is said to have laughed as his co-presenter Matt Morgan said Brand “showed his willy to a lady”.
The woman, referred to as ‘Olivia’, was reportedly left ‘stunned and disgusted’ by the encounter.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry to hear of these allegations and we will look into them.”
They urged the woman who shared her story, and anyone else with information, to get in contact.
“A key part of the review is to understand what complaints were made at the time, if there was knowledge of Russell Brand’s conduct while he worked on BBC radio, and what was done as a result,” they said.
“The director-general has been very clear that some broadcasts from that period were, and are, inexcusable and totally unacceptable, and would never be aired today.”
Brand did not respond to a request for comment by the PA news agency.
Brand has been accused of rape, assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame and working for the BBC and Channel 4 and starring in Hollywood films, following a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches.
Channel 4 has also announced an investigation into the presenter’s time on its shows.
It also said it had removed all content featuring Brand while the BBC said it had reviewed content and “made a considered decision to remove some of it, having assessed that it now falls below public expectations”.
YouTube, which hosts Brand’s video channel, and podcasting platform Acast, where his Under The Skin podcast appears, have said he would not make money from advertisements on their sites and apps.
The remaining shows of Brand’s Bipolarisation tour have also been postponed. However, right-wing video platform Rumble has said the allegations against Brand have “nothing to do” with its platform.
The video hosting site also said that it stood for “different values” from YouTube and had “devoted ourselves to the vital cause of defending a free internet”.
“We don’t agree with the behaviour of many Rumble creators, but we refuse to penalise them for actions that have nothing to do with our platform,” the statement also read.
Brand’s last video to his platforms denied any criminal allegations and said he had been “promiscuous” but that all his relationships have been “consensual”.
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