Russell Brand Admits to ‘Consensual Sex’ With 16-Year-Old When He Was 30
Daniel Kreps
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Russell Brand admitted that he had “consensual sex” with a 16-year-old girl when he was 30 in a new interview ahead of the comedian’s sexual assault trial.
Speaking to the Megyn Kelly Show, the actor addressed the allegation that he “was taking advantage of 16-year-olds,” as the host put it. “I did sleep with a 16-year-old when I was 30. When I was 30, I was a very different person. I was a lot younger, and I was an immature 30-year-old,” Brand said, adding that the age of consent in the U.K. is 16.
“Consensual sex with a lot of people, when there is a strong power differential, as there is when you are a famous man who has the ability to attract women that I had at that time, I think involves exploitation. I think it is exploitative,” he continued. “I recognize 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.”
Due to the U.K.’s “contempt of court” laws, Brand did not elaborate on the allegations tied to the specific charges against him — including two counts of both rape and sexual assault, as well as one count of indecent exposure — but did reiterate that he has “had consensual sex with lots and lots of women,” and that his celebrity standing afforded him “endless consent.”