Russell Brand’s rape trial opened Wednesday in London with prosecutors set to lay out their case against the comedian and actor.
Brand, 51, appeared at Southwark Crown Court in Central London for the start of proceedings that could stretch 6-10 weeks. A jury of eight men and four women, selected over Monday and Tuesday, will hear allegations spanning a decade involving six women.
The “Get Him to the Greek” star faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault tied to alleged incidents between 1999 and 2009. He pleaded not guilty and maintains all sexual encounters were consensual.
Prosecutors have previously detailed graphic allegations in hearings. They claim Brand raped a woman in a Bournemouth hotel room during a Labour Party conference, groped a television worker’s breasts and forced her to engage in a sex act with him in a bathroom, and kissed and grabbed a radio station worker.
The charges expanded in May 2025, when prosecutors added counts connected to alleged assaults of two other women in London in 2009. Brand had initially been charged with two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault for alleged incidents from 1999 and 2005.
Brand’s wife, Laura Gallacher, accompanied him to court on Monday. The couple have been married for nine years and share three children, whom they are raising in Florida while Brand has pivoted his career toward podcasting.
Before his marriage to Gallacher, Brand was famously married to pop singer Katy Perry from 2010 until their divorce in 2012. He rose to fame in the 2000s as a television personality, hosting the 2007 Brit Awards and the MTV Video Music Awards, and helming his own BBC radio show. He later transitioned to Hollywood with roles in films including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Rock of Ages.”
Brand, who has previously battled substance abuse, now podcasts about self-help, spirituality and political conspiracy theories. He has been out on bail ahead of trial.
The identities of victims of sexual abuse are barred from public disclosure for life under British laws.
Brand’s trial continues at Southwark Crown Court.