Noel Fielding breaks silence on Russell Brand after rape and sexual assault conviction

Noel Fielding has spoken out about Russell Brand following his conviction for rape and sexual assault, distancing himself from their past relationship and expressing regret over their jokes. Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on Monday (November 9), having been found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault against four women. He was acquitted of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault. Fielding, who worked alongside Brand on numerous television, radio and live comedy shows during the 2000s, has now addressed their relationship in a statement to The Sun. “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,” he said. “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.” Fielding and Brand became familiar collaborators during the 2000s, appearing together on The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year, Brand’s BBC radio programmes and live comedy events. They also performed together under the name The Goth Detectives, including at a Teenage Cancer Trust charity show at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2013, which was organised by Noel Gallagher. One of their most controversial appearances came during a 2007 episode of The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year, when fellow panellist Jonathan Ross joked about moving Lily Allen away from Fielding and Brand because of their reputations with women. Fielding responded: “How dare you – we’re not rapists,” before the comedians exchanged further jokes about sexual assault. The footage resurfaced following the initial allegations against Brand in 2023, prompting Allen to reflect on the incident in an interview with Grazia. She said she had laughed along with the jokes at the time, but described them in retrospect as “really horrendous”, adding: “It makes me uncomfortable, but I don’t think I felt that at the time, because it was the culture.” Fielding and Brand later appeared together on a 2019 edition of The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer, which was filmed in 2018. The episode was among the programmes removed from Channel 4’s streaming service in 2023 following the allegations against Brand. Fielding has not been accused of misconduct and there is no suggestion that he knew about Brand’s crimes. His statement follows a similar response from Jonathan Ross, who said earlier this week that he was “horrified” by Brand’s crimes and separate allegations against comedian David Walliams. “There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men, and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct,” Ross said. “My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.” Ross also expressed regret over a joke he made about Walliams and a 15-year-old girl at the 2004 British Comedy Awards, saying he had not written the material and would not make such a joke today. Walliams has denied the allegations against him. Meanwhile, following Brand’s conviction, six more women have accused him of sexual misconduct, while the Metropolitan Police are continuing to investigate two further allegations of rape. For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.