Russell Brand’s publishing deal with Pan Macmillan imprint Bluebird has been suspended following allegations the star had repeatedly sexually assaulted women.
In a statement to The Bookseller, a rep for Bluebird said: “These are very serious allegations and in the light of them, Bluebird has taken the decision to pause all future publishing with Russell Brand.”
Under his deal with PanMacmillan Brand published “Recovery: Freedom from our Addictions” in 2018 with a new version set to be published in May 2024. Following Bluebird’s announcement, the future of the book is now unclear.
“Recovery” is described as “a guide to addiction” on Amazon, with the synopsis reading: “With a rare mix of honesty, humor, and compassion, comedian and movie star Russell Brand mines his own wild story and shares the advice and wisdom he has gained through his fourteen years of recovery.”
Brand, who rose to fame in the early 2000s as a comedian before snagging roles in Hollywood films including “Rock of Ages” alongside Tom Cruise, has written numerous tomes over the years, especially following his career pivot to new age wellness guru post-pandemic.
He wrote an autobiography, “My Booky Wook,” in 2007 (published by Hodder & Stoughton) with a sequel, “BookyWook 2” following in 2011 published by HarperCollins. In 2015 her wrote a political tome titled “Revolution” ( published by Cornerstone) as well as making his children’s literature debut with “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.”
The allegations against Brand were first made in a joint investigation by The Times of London, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 documentary “Dispatches” over the weekend. They saw four women accuse Brand of sexual assault and, in one case, rape.
The BBC and Banijay, who employed the comedian at the time the incidents were said to have taken place, have launched an investigation into the claims.
Brand has strenuously denied the allegations.
