Farage Appeared on Russell Brand Podcast in 2024, Months After Allegations Surfaced
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage appeared on Russell Brand's US podcast in July 2024, after police had questioned the comedian over assault allegations. Brand was sentenced this week to more than 10 years. A Farage spokesperson says he regrets the appearance.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage appeared as a guest on Russell Brand's US podcast in July 2024, nine months after police investigated the comedian over sexual assault allegations. Brand was sentenced this week to more than 10 years in prison for rape and sexual assault.
Farage has since criticised Labour for "cosying up to" and "promoting" Brand a decade ago. The podcast appearance came months after the allegations became public and before Brand was charged in April 2025.
What happened on the show
Farage laughed with Brand about their shared interest in taking on the establishment. He suggested the west had provoked Vladimir Putin into the Ukraine war, saying "what you don't do with a Russian bear is deliberately poke it with a stick".
Dan Bongino, a Donald Trump supporter, and the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk also sat on the sofa. Farage said "the old left-right divides" were being blown out of the water.
The allegations against Brand were not mentioned. At the close, Brand said: "Nigel, thank you for this impromptu opportunity to speak and I hope we get more chances to speak."
What Farage knew
Several women accused Brand of sexual assault in a joint media investigation in September 2023. Police interviewed him under caution that autumn.
Farage knew of the claims. On GB News in September 2023 he said he was not a big fan of Brand but would not prejudge him, and that "no evidence being produced" had emerged, while noting four or five women had come forward.
He also said then: "I'm not here to prejudge his guilt or his innocence, but there are many other things in his own autobiography that he's written about his behaviour with women that are disturbing, abusive and not very pretty."
Farage's response
A Farage spokesperson said: "Nigel regrets his appearance on the show. His thoughts are with the victims who have suffered immensely because of what Russell Brand has done." Reform sources said the appearance was not planned and that he was pulled into the room during a visit to the US.
After the verdict, Farage spoke about the case on Australia's News 24. He called such cases "always very difficult for us to judge at a distance", but said he believed Jemima Goldsmith, a former partner of Brand who has accused him of assault. "The judicial system has proved to have actually worked," he said.
Earlier controversy
Farage was pictured with the influencer Andrew Tate in 2019. Tate was charged with rape and human trafficking in 2023, and the UK is seeking to extradite him from the US. Tate denies the allegations.
In a Strike It Big podcast aired in February 2024, Farage spoke in favour of Tate for defending "male culture". He also said Tate had gone "over the top" and said some "pretty horrible" things.
