Russell Brand's friend says he's 'deeply disturbed' by comedian's crimes
Russell Brand's friend says he's 'deeply disturbed' by comedian's crimes
Hannah Furnell Sat, November 14, 2026 at 4:25 PM UTC
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One of Russell Brand's friends and fellow comedians says he's "deeply disturbed" by his crimes.
Noel Fielding, 53, broke his silence on Brand and the jokes he made with the disgraced 51-year-old, who was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison on November 9, after being found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court in London.
Now, days later, the Great British Bake Off presenter released a statement to The Sun in which he expressed his regret over the "horrible" jokes he had made with Brand in 2007, adding that he is "appalled" by them. The statement came after the clips resurfaced online.
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Fielding, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing and was not linked to Brand's trial and conviction at all, said he had only ever considered his relationship with Brand to be professional.
The statement said, "I was horrified and deeply disturbed to learn of Russell Brand's crimes, which I was completely unaware of until they became public knowledge. My thoughts are with the women whose courage brought him to justice.
Noel Fielding says he's 'deeply disturbed' by Russell Brand's crimes (Image: Getty Images)
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"I appeared on TV, radio and live charity shows with him, and whilst we played it up for the cameras and in the media, I considered it a professional relationship, rather than a personal one. I have had no contact with him for many years.
"Looking back at some of the jokes I made alongside him I was appalled. They were horrible and inappropriate, and I very much regret them."
Following Brand's conviction, a clip of him and Fielding joking about rape on the Big Fat Quiz of the Year resurfaced.
The 2007 episode saw host Jimmy Carr welcome Rob Brydon, David Mitchell, Jonathan Ross, Fielding and Brand onto the panel alongside singer Lily Allen, who was 21 at the time and the only woman on the panel.
"I'm a bit concerned because look where you've put us," Ross tells Carr during the moment. "You've put the only sexually attractive young lady - well, the only young lady full stop, she happens to be very attractive as well - near two of the best known cocksmen of the business."
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Ross was referring to Brand and Fielding, who were seated to Allen's left.
Noel Fielding expressed regret over the 'horrible' jokes he made with Russell Brand in 2007 (Image: FilmMagic)
"I'm going to insist as a sort of uncle figure in Lily's life that she moves over there because obviously that's the sexless zone," Ross continues, pointing to Brydon and Mitchell, who looked at one another and nodded, agreeing. "And then, Lily might go home with her dress still on." Fielding then said, "How dare you? We're not rapists."
In an interview 16 years later, Allen broke her silence on the "uncomfortable" moment. "I was on a chat show with Russell Brand and Noel Fielding and Jonathan Ross. And there are comments, I think, about me being raped or something," she told Grazia in 2023.
"And I laugh along with it. In retrospect, that's really horrendous. It makes me uncomfortable, but I don't think I felt that at the time, because it was the culture."
Brand pleaded not guilty to the charges against him before he was convicted, and he was found not guilty on four counts of sexual assault.
He is also currently being investigated for two other alleged assaults in the U.K. and is also facing a civil lawsuit in the US for another alleged incident. The former comedian continues to maintain his innocence.
However, following his conviction for rape and sexual assault, the Metropolitan Police released footage from Brand's interviews, including one where he read detectives a statement.
The Metropolitan Police released footage from Russell Brand's interviews, including one where he read detectives a statement (Image: Metropolitan Police/AFP via Getty Images)
In Brand's statement, he said, "Thank you for your time today. As I've repeatedly stated publicly and written about extensively, I led a very promiscuous life in the past, which I've spent years openly denouncing. I never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity.
"On the 16th September 2023, a defamatory and fictitious documentary was broadcast in conjunction with the publication of two national newspapers, containing false, anonymized allegations, which led to unprecedented media reporting. Subsequently, both the media and the police publicly invited additional allegations to be made, which has resulted in further encounters being invented or reimagined.
"At present, I do not recall the names of [CENSORED] complainants or meeting them. However, it is entirely possible I may have encountered them, and we may have engaged in consensual sexual activity or physical contact, which has since been reimagined.
"The allegations that you are interviewing me about relate to events that allegedly took place between 16 and 24 years ago. After I was provided with a short summary of these allegations ahead of this interview, my solicitors wrote on my behalf with questions seeking information and clarification, and most of these questions remain unanswered.
He added in the lengthy statement, "Since December 13, 2002, I have been drink and drug-free to the present day... I routinely made provocative jokes or comments with members of the public during live performances and broadcasts. I did, on occasion, find reason to leave or ask casual sexual partners to leave shortly after the experience had concluded. I had sexual encounters in countless locations and scenarios, often with people that I'd just met."
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
