Years after Katherine Ryan reportedly confronted Russell Brand about alleged predatory behaviour while working alongside him on Comedy Central’s “Roast Battle” in 2018, the comedian has spoken out following his conviction on rape and sexual assault charges.
“It really made me feel just quite dysregulated again, caught off-guard, emotional, in awe of the survivors who also had nothing to gain,” Ryan said on the latest episode of her podcast “Telling Everybody Everything.” “They came forward despite Russell Brand having fame, power, money and a legion of fans ready to attack them.”
The Canadian comedian said she and other women had been privately processing the verdict, which she described as bringing both a sense of justice and renewed grief for those affected.
“I will never be someone who like, dances on graves. There has been some justice done today,” she said. “There’s a level of relief, but there’s grief alongside relief.”
She continued: “Everything’s nuanced, and it was proved in court that a terrible thing happened, and that means that a terrible thing happened.”
Ryan previously made headlines in 2022 when she told Louis Theroux in his BBC documentary series that she had confronted an unnamed male comedian about his alleged predatory behaviour. During the interview, Ryan said she had worked alongside a man on a television program and called him a “predator,” describing the potential legal repercussions as a “litigious minefield.”
Her comments fueled speculation that she was referring to Brand. Ryan has never publicly confirmed the identity of the comedian she was discussing.
Love Film & TV?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in music, film and TV in Australia and abroad.
Brand, 51, was found guilty Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault following a four-week trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court. He was acquitted of two additional rape charges and one count of indecent assault. The comedian, who denied all allegations of non-consensual sexual activity, is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday.
From Variety US