Russell Brand's involvement in the popular "Despicable Me" franchise has been discreetly ended after being hit with multiple sexual assault and rape allegations. The comedian who voiced Dr. Nefario was replaced by another comic in the latest film, seemingly to distance the franchise from the controversy surrounding him.
According to new reports, Russell Brand also allegedly behaved inappropriately while working as a host for the "Big Brother" spin-off shows.
Last month, the fourth installment of the "Despicable Me" franchise hit theaters, grossing hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide. Fan favorites like Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig reprised their lead roles, but Russell Brand was notably absent, even though the character he once voiced was still featured in the film.
Brand had previously provided the voice for Dr. Nefario, the elderly scientist and assistant to Gru (voiced by Carell), the franchise's central character, who transitioned from antagonist to protagonist.
In the latest installment, he was replaced by Romesh Ranganathan, and it is believed that the change had to do with Rusell being involved in a rape and sexual assault scandal.
According to an insider, the change was a surprise, as Russell has been a "fixture" in the film since its inception.
Sometime last year, the police opened an investigation in response to several "non-recent" sexual offense allegations made against Brand.
At the time, a separate inquiry conducted by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times revealed that Brand allegedly sexually assaulted and raped four women between the years of 2006 and 2013.
She claimed that on that day, Brand had suggested she participate in sexual activities with him and a friend who was waiting in his bedroom. However, when she declined his offer and attempted to leave, he proceeded to rape her against a wall without a condom.
Another female claimed that the controversial comedian assaulted her when she was 16 while they were in an emotionally abusive relationship. Rusell was reportedly in his early 30s at the time.
In response to the accusations, Brand released a statement denying that he ever assaulted any of the women.
The actor admitted that in his past, he was "very, very promiscuous." However, all sexual interactions he had at the time were "absolutely always consensual."
The "Despicable Me 2" star, "I was always transparent about that. Then almost too transparent, and I'm being transparent about it now as well. To see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question, is there another agenda at play?"
Brand also noted that the attacks he is currently facing share some similarities with other independent news personalities.
He added, "Particularly when we've seen coordinated media attacks before, like with Joe Rogan, when he dared to take a medicine that the mainstream media didn't approve of, and we saw a spate of headlines from media outlets across the world using the same language."
More recently, Banijay UK, the production company behind the "Big Brother" spin-off shows that Brand previously hosted, conducted an investigation into his behavior during that time, per BBC.
Although the investigation concluded that "no formal complaints were made about Brand during the programs," it uncovered that the comedian had engaged in inappropriate behavior in contrast to professional ethics.
A rep for the company explained, "There were, however, concerns regarding Brand's behavior, which were raised informally with senior members of staff, particularly in relation to him asking runners to obtain phone numbers of audience members and female crew members feeling uncomfortable or intimidated by his behavior while working in Bristol in 2004/2005."
According to the news outlet, reports of Brand's alleged inappropriate behavior were not properly handled, even when managers were made aware of the accusations.
The company's rep noted that "these concerns were not properly escalated or adequately addressed."
Banijay UK has since issued an apology, saying, "We are extremely sorry to anyone who was impacted by this behavior and felt unable to speak up or that their voice was not properly heard."
