British actor and comedian Russell Brand has admitted to having sex with a 16-year-old when he was 30.
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The now 50-year-old was charged and pleaded not guilty last year to two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault against four women between 1999 and 2005.
In February, he pleaded not guilty in a London court to two additional charges of rape and sexual assault nearly two decades ago.
When asked about the allegations against him on The Megyn Kelly Show, Mr Brand described his actions as “exploitative” while also referring to the age of consent being 16 in the United Kingdom.
“Thank you, Megyn Kelly, for giving me the grace to address, in particular, your anger, which is entirely legitimate and recognisable,” he said.
“And the plain fact of it is that 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.”
Mr Brand went on to say his “sexual conduct in the past was selfish” and that his fame fuelled an opportunity for “endless consent”.
“Consensual sex, actually, with a variety of people when there is a strong power differential — because there is 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.
Russell Brand’s trial on seven charges of rape and sexual assault is scheduled for October. (Reuters: Toby Melville)
“I recognise 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.
“What fame gave me and what my addiction fuelled was opportunity for endless consent, which led me to be a hedonist and a fool, and an exploiter of women, and that is wrong.
“And that is something that needs to be redeemed and addressed and atoned for.”
Mr Brand was due to stand trial in June on five of the charges, before he was charged in December with the two additional offences.
In March a London judge said a trial on Mr Brand’s seven charges of rape and sexual assault relating to six women would start in October. It is expected to take up to eight weeks.
A regular on British screens in the 2000s, the comedian was known for his flamboyant style and appearance and also worked as a radio presenter for the BBC.
Mr Brand was once married to American singer Katy Perry, but the pair divorced in 2012 after 14 months of marriage.
He also starred in several films, including Get Him to the Greek in 2010 and Forgetting Sarah Marshall in 2008.
By the early 2020s Mr Brand had faded from mainstream culture and has since largely appeared online, airing his views on US politics and free speech.