Katherine Ryan Speaks of 'Grief and Relief' After Brand Conviction
Comedian's past warnings resurface as Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault.
Carla Rooney
Katherine Ryan has spoken of her "grief and relief" after comedian Russell Brand was convicted of rape and three sexual assaults.
Ryan claimed she confronted the individual to his face but declined to name him publicly. She cited a "litigious minefield."
She told Louis Theroux there was a "predator" in the entertainment industry. Ryan added she could not name the male comic.
Ryan mentioned she had been on a TV programme with him. She told the individual he was a "predator" to "his face."
Speculation mounted she referred to her time on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle in 2018 alongside Brand. The Canadian comic has not confirmed she referred to Brand or named the show.
Four women accused Brand of rape, sexual assaults, and emotional abuse. This emerged in a joint Channel 4 Dispatches, Times, and Sunday Times investigation in September 2023. Mr Justice Bennathan, the trial judge, dismissed Brand's attempt to block his trial due to negative media coverage.
Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, confronted journalist Rosamund Urwin outside the courtroom. Mr Winter argued that reporting of allegations against Brand by Ms Urwin and others had "poisoned the well," rendering it impossible for him to have a fair trial.
It really made me feel just quite dysregulated again, caught off-guard, emotional, in awe of the survivors who also had nothing to gain. They came forward despite Russell Brand having fame, power, money, and a legion of fans ready to attack them.
Katherine Ryan stated, "It really made me feel just quite dysregulated again, caught off-guard, emotional, in awe of the survivors who also had nothing to gain." She added, "They came forward despite Russell Brand having fame, power, money, and a legion of fans ready to attack them."
Ryan reflected on the outcome, saying, "I will never be someone who like, dances on graves. There has been some justice done today. There’s a level of relief, but there’s grief alongside relief." She further noted, "Everything’s nuanced, and it was proved in court that a terrible thing happened, and that means that a terrible thing happened."
This verdict came because women were hurt, and I worry as well about what happens next.
The comedian expressed concern for those affected, stating, "I just think again and again about people who have been hurt, and who have to carry that, who’ve carried that around long enough, and will continue to carry that in some way, regardless of what justice is done." She concluded, "This verdict came because women were hurt, and I worry as well about what happens next."
Ryan highlighted Brand's cultivation of a narrative where "the establishment have invented these claims against him, and he’s martyred himself to a growing audience who really still think that it is the courageous survivors who are the villains in this story."
A comedian claims Russell Brand had 'enablers who kept him famous.' Comedian and writer Katy Brand previously revealed how media executives ignored allegations against Russell Brand. She detailed how producers attempted to cast him in her 2019 TV show despite her objections.
Police claim more victims could come forward. Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, stated he "wouldn't be surprised" if more people came forward to make allegations about Russell Brand.
Brand will be sentenced on Monday. This conviction follows reports that Bear Grylls helped baptise Russell Brand in the River Thames in 2024.