Noel Fielding has spoken out following Russell Brand’s conviction. The pair worked together on numerous occasions in the past
Noel Fielding has broken his silence with a scathing statement following Russell Brand’s sentencing.
Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months after being found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. Noel worked with Brand many times over the years and has yet to speak out about Brand until now.
Noel and Brand worked together on shows including The Big Fat Quiz of the Year and both regularly appeared on panel shows and at award ceremonies alongside one another. Noel also made guest appearances on Brand’s radio shows.
“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 told The Sun.
“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.”
Noel’s statement comes after Jonathan Ross issued his own statement on Russell Brand’s crimes and allegations against David Walliams, saying he was “horrified”.
He said: “I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation. 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. My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.”
Ross then addressed an old video from a 2004 awards show where he was shown joking: “The comedy awards is 15 years old – 15 years old! And like most 15 year olds, it’s drunk, it’s unpredictable and it’s probably going home with David Walliams.”
He explained tonight that he didn’t write the joke himself, saying: “I recognise how deeply shocking it is to revisit footage of a joke delivered by me at the Comedy Awards in 2004, in which I make light of the notion of Walliams going home with a 15 year old.
“This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards script writing team and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect.
“It is also a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone, but that is beside the point. Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him. I also like to think that I would have acted upon that knowledge.”
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