Noel Fielding Says He's 'appalled' By Old Jokes With Russell Brand After His Conviction

The sketch that resurfaced

The clip is from the 2007 edition of Channel 4's Big Fat Quiz of the Year. Host Jimmy Carr had seated comedians Rob Brydon, David Mitchell, Jonathan Ross, Noel Fielding and Russell Brand alongside singer Lily Allen, then 21 and the only woman on the panel.

Ross told Carr he was "concerned" about the seating, describing Allen as "the only sexually attractive young lady" placed near "two of the best known cocksmen of the business" — Brand and Fielding. Fielding shot back, "How dare you? We're not rapists."

Carr asked why Fielding was wearing a cape if he wasn't a rapist. Brand interjected: "What if, horror of horrors, he ain't even done a rape. You could ruin his reputation." He then turned to Fielding and asked, "Have you done a rape?" Fielding lifted his Dracula cape over his face and answered, "Well, if I have, I'd be leaving the scene of the crime like this."

Allen, seated beside them, can be seen looking down and grimacing during the exchange, according to the Daily Mail. In 2023 she told Grazia UK the moment was "really horrendous" but that she stayed quiet at the time "because of the culture."

What put Brand in prison

Russell Brand, 51, was sentenced to 10 years and six months at Southwark Crown Court in London on November 9, after a jury convicted him on four counts: one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was found not guilty on four other counts, according to the Daily Express US.

NPR reports the jury's guilty verdicts came November 5, following a trial in which six women testified against Brand over four weeks. The rape conviction involved a woman Brand met at one of his shows in 2009; the sexual assault convictions involved separate women at a bar, a radio station and a TV studio between 2004 and 2009.

Four women gave victim impact statements before sentencing. One, whom Brand was convicted of anally raping, said through prosecutors that the assault "is something I carry with me every day and it often feels never-ending," and that she doubts her "ability to make good decisions." Another said she felt "physically sick" watching Brand's fame grow afterward. None of the women has been publicly named.

Judge Justice Bennathan told the court Brand had become "a sexual predator" and paused to "pay tribute to the determination and bravery" of the women who came forward, according to NPR. Brand has maintained he never engaged in nonconsensual activity and is now held at HMP Wandsworth.

"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 Fielding, to The Sun

Fielding's statement

Noel Fielding, 53, had faced mounting pressure to respond after the old clip recirculated online. He gave The Sun a written statement, quoted by Rolling Stone, the Daily Mail and the Daily Express US.

"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," Fielding said, per The Sun.

On the sketch itself, Fielding said: "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." He added that he considered the relationship "a professional relationship, rather than a personal one," and that "I have had no contact with him for many years."

The Guardian and UA.News both note that Fielding has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and that no outlet has produced evidence he knew about Brand's conduct toward women before it became public.

A pattern of jokes, not just one clip

The Fielding exchange wasn't the only resurfaced footage. The Daily Mail reports a separate, now-deleted 2013 clip of Brand on Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast in which Brand said, "Oh, I've raped someone once," and joked about child sexual abuse using a math metaphor, before adding lines about adults performing sex acts in front of children.

In that same podcast clip, Brand called himself a "sex narcissist" and said, "Look at the women in this room. Even a bold estimate would be that I've slept with half of them. Currently."

The BBC separately resurfaced a Jonathan Ross Show clip raising similar concerns about the 2007 broadcast. Jonathan Ross has not issued a public statement responding to the resurfaced footage, according to the available coverage.

The Daily Mail also reports Fielding referenced touring with Brand as recently as a 2016 BBC interview, joking about a "Goth Detectives" tour — a detail now being read differently in light of Brand's conviction.

The investigations still open

The BBC reports police are investigating new rape allegations from two more women against Brand, separate from the four counts already proven at trial. The BBC said it had asked Brand's legal representatives for comment on the latest allegations.

The Guardian reports a new investigation by the Times and the Sunday Times has identified six additional women accusing Brand of sexual harassment and predatory behavior, beyond the four complainants from the criminal trial.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he "would not be surprised if 'many more' alleged victims" of Brand come forward, according to the Daily Mail. The Daily Express US also notes Brand faces a separate civil lawsuit in the United States over another alleged incident.

What happens next

Brand remains held at HMP Wandsworth following his November 9 sentencing. The Metropolitan Police investigation into the two newer rape allegations is ongoing, with no outlet reporting a charging decision yet; the Times/Sunday Times investigation into six additional accusers has not led to any announced criminal action. No hearing date has been reported for Brand's separate US civil lawsuit.