Elon Musk has renewed his support for Russell Brand following the comedian’s rape conviction, standing by the disgraced star years after declaring he was “not evil.”
British comedian Russell Brand, 51, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on Nov. 9, four days after a London jury convicted him of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.
According to several reports, the offences spanned five years, with Brand found guilty of groping an MTV employee at a Soho bar in 2004 and sexually assaulting a radio employee the following year. In 2009, he raped a 21-year-old fan he met after a performance at London’s Hammersmith Apollo and sexually assaulted a Channel 4 employee.
Although acquitted of three additional charges, Brand faced a lengthy prison sentence.
Judge calls Brand a ‘sexual predator’
Before announcing his punishment, BBC reports that Justice Bennathan condemned Brand’s “casual and arrogant disregard for a woman’s right to say no to you.”
The judge told him he had acted “how you liked and when you liked, unhindered by the rules by which decent people live.”
After calling Brand a “sexual predator,” she added, “Whatever women wear, wherever they go, indeed whatever they drink, they retain the right to say no and to demand justice from the criminal courts when sexual predators like you, Russell Brand, act without their consent.”
According to Sky News, Brand showed no emotion as he was sentenced, telling his wife, Laura Gallacher, “we’ll be OK” before being led away.
Brand denied criminal activity
When allegations against Brand first surfaced in 2023, the comedian defended himself in a video posted on X, acknowledging that he had been “very, very promiscuous” when he was younger.
“During that time of promiscuity, the relationships that I had were absolutely, always consensual,” Brand claimed, adding that the accusations against him were “egregious.”
“I was always transparent…and to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny, makes me question, is there another agenda at play?” Brand continued, blaming a “spate of media headlines” that he alleged were designed to condemn him.
“Of course. They don’t like competition,” Elon Musk, 55, replied in the comment section.
‘That man is not evil’
Two days later, on Sept. 17, Musk again expressed his support for the comedian in a post that resurfaced following his conviction.
“I support Russell Brand. That man is not evil,” Musk wrote on X.
Three years later, with Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault and facing a lengthy prison sentence, Musk showed no signs of changing his position.
Responding to an X post questioning the fairness of Brand’s punishment, Musk delivered a one-word response.
“Unjust,” the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX wrote.
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