YouTube cuts off Russell Brand's ad revenue

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- YouTube cut off actor Russell Brand's revenue from ads displayed on his channel Tuesday after high-profile allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Brand owns multiple channels on the platform, with over 6 million subscribers to his main outlet.

Several prominent British publications, including The Times, reported last weekend that Brand abused women in Britain and the United States at the height of his fame.

Accusations include raping a woman with whom he'd previously had consensual relations and "grooming" a 16-year-old girl. Brand, 48, strongly denied the allegations in a video statement, saying all of his relationships had been consensual.

He has called the accusations a conspiracy and a "coordinated attack," part of a "serious and concerted agenda."

A YouTube representative said in a statement the demonetization was prompted by a possible violation of the platform's "Creator Responsibility policy." If a content creator does something harmful to users or employees off the platform, the company says it will "take action."

The BBC reported it followed suit, removing some shows from its streaming service that featured Brand, a comedian. According to the British broadcast giant, the content "now falls below public expectations."

Sara McCorquodale, CEO of social media analysis agency CORQ, told the BBC that Brand "was probably making more revenue from YouTube than any other platform." She estimated he likely made between $2,500 and nearly $5,000 per video.

After the media reports, the United Kingdom's Metropolitan Police said Monday it had received a report accusing Brand of sexually assaulting someone in 2003.

Previously, Brand had a video removed from his channel for possible COVID-19 misinformation.