Russell Brand-style sex attacks still rife in the media, says Culture Secretary Nandy as she tells industry to do more to tackle celeb rapists

Published: 04:34 EDT, 8 November 2026 | Updated: 04:54 EDT, 8 November 2026 Celebrities are still committing horrific sexual abuse like that committed by Russell Brand because the media industry still has not got its act together, the Culture Secretary warned today. Lisa Nandy lashed out after Brand was last week convicted of raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three women during his showbiz heyday.The 51-year-old preyed on women he encountered while becoming one of Britain's best-known stand-up comedians, a lauded TV and radio host, and a Hollywood movie star.Ahead of his sentencing tomorrow his conviction has prompted a major row over the role of the entertainment industry and politicians from across the board to seek his support and promote him even after he was involved in controversy.In a round of television interviews today Ms Nandy said that the industry had not learned its lesson despite a slew of recent high-profile cases.'I do not see that much has changed in terms of the way that institutions in the media industry and across public life, including politics, deal with women who very bravely come forward to allege abuse,' she told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.'They are not protected, they work in industries like politics and the media where the power imbalances are huge, where they are often on short term flexible contracts and where who you know and reputation is often the key to career advancement. 'Speaking up has a very heavy cost ... time is up, it really is time for the media industry to take this seriously.' Lisa Nandy lashed out after Brand was last week convicted of raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three women during his showbiz heyday. The 51-year-old preyed on women he encountered while becoming one of Britain's best-known stand-up comedians, a lauded TV and radio host, and a Hollywood movie starBrand's victims came to court to reveal how he had forced them into sexual activity, sometimes within seconds of them first meeting, using his fame to determinedly pursue a goal of sex with 5,000 women.On Thursday at Southwark Crown Court, a jury found him guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.He was cleared of two further charges of rape and one allegation of attempted indecent assault.The Met has confirmed investigations are ongoing into two allegations of rape made against Brand.At pre-trial court hearings, it was revealed one of the complaints comes from a woman who dated Brand when he was 30 and she was a 16-year-old schoolgirl.