YouTube has suspended Russell Brand from earning money through adverts on his videos, stating the actor and comedian had “violated” its “creator responsibility policy”.
The social media and video platform announced the decision earlier today, saying it was taking action to “protect” its users.
“If a creator’s off-platform behaviour harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action,” a YouTube spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Speaking to the BBC, the site said its decisions to block his revenue streams applies to “all channels that may be owned or operated” by the 48-year-old.
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Brands’ main channel, which has over 6.62 million followers, is thought to generate several thousand pounds per video.
His last video, ‘So, This Is Happening’, a pre-emptive post about the upcoming damming documentary, has received over 1.6 million views since it was uploaded three days ago.
Other channels owned by Brand include Awakening With Russell, Stay Free With Russell Brand, and Football Is Nice, which collectively have around 500,000 subscribers.
The move follows in the wake of the Metropolitan Police receiving a report of an alleged sexual assault in 2003, prompted by a Channel 4 and The Times investigation, claims which the star denies.
Over the weekend Russell Brand’s Bipolarisation tour was postponed, while his agents announced they had dropped the actor, saying they were “horribly misled”.
With one of the main ways for individuals to make money on the video platform being advertising- alongside channel memberships, super chats and sponsorships – the ban will come as a significant blow for the actor.
Other notable previous YouTube bans include the suspension of US influencers David Dobrik and James Charles.
