Russell Brand has been found guilty of raping a fan and sexually assaulting three other women, and he is being held at Wandsworth Prison. The verdict means he will serve a significant custodial term after a case brought by four women.
Sarah Solemani said: "The criminal justice system served the victims of Brand." She also said, "I love my industry but it contains people who leave a secret trail of pain and devastation totally at odds with their stage and screen personas."
Sarah Solemani on comedy
Solemani said she had worked in comedy in some capacity for several decades and had won the best sitcom Bafta for Him & Her. She said she had also written monologues for Goldie Hawn, and that she had to pull a project from a company when she was told a high-level exec was known for allegedly raping a colleague.
She added that another famous comic had to pull a project when she told them a legend they were working with was also an alleged rapist. She described the exchange as "he said v she said" and added, "and he said wins because the burden of proof is not on him."
Four women in the case
The case centered on four women who came forward. The source says it has been common knowledge in comedy circles and beyond for years that Brand hurt many women, and it says he is unlikely to harm again.
That leaves a harder question inside comedy itself: if budgets are cut and TV commissions dry up, female and working-class young talent become more vulnerable while some alleged abusers still work on sets. Solemani’s account shows how often people are pushed to choose between a project and the risk tied to the person attached to it.
Brand’s custodial term has not been set out here, but the verdict has already changed his position in the Wandsworth Prison context: the case has moved from allegation to conviction, and the women who spoke have forced that shift into public view.
