Noel Fielding stated on Wednesday that he has had no contact with Russell Brand for many years following Brand’s conviction on sex offenses.
The Great British Bake Off presenter released a statement to The Sun addressing his past professional ties to Brand, who was recently jailed for 10 and a half years for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. Fielding said that he was completely unaware of Brand’s crimes until they became public knowledge.
“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 in the statement reported by The Independent.
Fielding and Brand previously appeared together on Channel 4’s Big Fat Quiz Of The Year and performed live charity gigs as a double act called The Goth Detectives. Fielding clarified that their dynamic was strictly professional despite how it was framed for the cameras.
“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,” Fielding said.
Regret Over Past TV Jokes
A 2007 clip of Brand and Fielding joking on the Big Fat Quiz Of The Year resurfaced following Brand’s trial. The episode featured host Jimmy Carr alongside panelists including singer Lily Allen, who was 21 at the time and the only woman on the panel.
During the broadcast, fellow panelist Jonathan Ross pointed out Fielding and Brand to Carr, referring to them as "cocksmen" before moving Allen away from them toward what Ross called the "sexless zone." Fielding responded during the broadcast by saying, “How dare you? We’re not rapists.”
Allen later discussed the uncomfortable nature of the exchange in a 2023 interview with Grazia, noting that she laughed along with the remarks because of the prevailing culture at the time.
Fielding addressed the resurfaced clip directly in his statement, expressing remorse for his participation in the humor.
“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,” Fielding said.
Wider Industry Fallout
The disclosures regarding Brand prompted additional statements from other prominent figures who worked alongside him during his career. Broadcaster Jonathan Ross issued a statement to the Press Association distancing himself from both Brand and comedian David Walliams, who faces separate allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming. Walliams denies any wrongdoing.
“I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation,” Ross said. “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.”