Key facts
- Farage was a guest on Brand's online show in July 2024, after the allegations were public but before Brand was charged in April 2025.
- A spokesperson for Farage said: "Nigel regrets his appearance on the show."
- Reform sources said the appearance was not planned and Farage was pulled into the room during a visit to America.
- Farage said on GB News in September 2023 there was "no evidence being produced" on the allegations against Brand.
- Farage criticised Labour for failing to apologise for cosying up to Brand a decade ago.
Nigel Farage appeared on Russell Brand's US podcast in July 2024, nine months after police began investigating the comedian over allegations of sexual assault, the Guardian reported on November 12, 2026. The appearance came months after the allegations were made public but before Brand was charged in April 2025.
During the episode, Farage laughed with Brand about their shared interests in taking on the establishment and suggested the West had provoked Vladimir Putin into the Ukraine war. Farage was aware of the serious sexual assault allegations against Brand at the time because he had commented on them on GB News the previous year, but they were not mentioned in the episode.
Sitting on a sofa with Dan Bongino, a Donald Trump supporter, and Charlie Kirk, the rightwing activist later murdered, Farage spoke of how the old left-right divides were being blown out of the water. At the end of the show, Brand said: "Nigel, thank you for this impromptu opportunity to speak and I hope we get more chances to speak."
A number of women accused Brand of sexual assault in a joint Sunday Times, Times and Channel 4 exposé in September 2023, and the comedian was subsequently interviewed under caution by police that autumn. On GB News in September 2023, Farage said he was not a big fan of Brand but would not prejudge him, and remarked on the comedian having upset big government and powerful men such as Bill Gates.
Asked about his appearance with Brand, a spokesperson for Farage said: "Nigel regrets his appearance on the show. His thoughts are with the victims who have suffered immensely because of what Russell Brand has done." Reform sources said it was not a planned appearance, and he was pulled into the room during a visit to America.
Since the verdict, Farage has commented on the allegations against Brand on Australia's News 24, saying the cases were difficult to judge at a distance because there was no actual hard evidence. He also came out in support of Jemima Goldsmith, a former partner of Brand who has accused him of assault, saying he believed her account and that the judicial system had proved to have actually worked. He criticised Labour for failing to apologise for cosying up to Brand a decade ago.
The report noted Farage was pictured with Andrew Tate, the influencer, in 2019. Tate was charged with rape and human trafficking in 2023, and the UK is seeking to extradite him from the US. Tate denies the allegations. Farage spoke in favour of Tate for defending male culture in a Strike It Big podcast that aired in February 2024.