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Russell Brand’s lewd, crude Lothario ways ultimately made him a huge star, but now old footage of his predatory behaviour is coming under the microscope in the wake of his rape conviction.
Following a four-week trial in London, the British actor, 51, was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others, between 2004 and 2009.
The stories of women’s uncomfortable encounters with Russell have come thick and fast, with several well-known Australian stars falling victim to his menacing ways over the years.
Fifi Box interviewed the comedian in 2010 during her stint as an entertainment reporter for Sunrise and was left flabbergasted at how handsy he was during their chat.
He continuously made sexual remarks to Fifi as she tried to chat about Get Him to the Greek, the movie he was there to promote.
“I didn’t know much about him at the time,” Fifi said five years later as she recalled Russell’s inappropriate antics. “By the end of the interview, he was straddling me, grinding me inappropriately and trying to kiss me.”
When Russell appeared on The Project in 2015, he even joked that he was the father of Fifi’s daughter, Trixie.
In 2009, Samantha Armytage had a similar “full-on” experience with Russell when she sat down with the then-rising star during his Australian visit. The Sunrise reporter quizzed him on his sex and drug addictions, and he flirted with her while suggestively eating a banana.
“If you was on my telly when I was a teenage boy, it would mess me up. I think you are gorgeous,” Russell stated.
When Russell was under investigation in 2023, Samantha looked back on that interview as she recounted his “rather outrageous” nature.
“I do recall him being very touchy-feely and thinking it was pretty full-on given I didn’t know him,” she admitted.
Even seasoned reporter Liz Hayes wasn’t immune from Russell’s overtly sexual behaviour when she filmed a segment with him for 60 Minutes in 2012.
In a shocking clip that has resurfaced in the wake of Russell’s downfall, the actor forcefully grabs and kisses Liz and even jokes about trying to unclip her bra. Earlier in the chat, he had cheekily told her, “I’m a tricky little swine… I’m a playful coyote looking for mischief.”
Nine years after it happened, the veteran journalist described exactly how she felt during the unsettling encounter, admitting she expected him to be somewhat unpredictable.
“When you interview Russell Brand you don’t really know who is going to show up,” Liz admitted.
“Seasoned as I am as a journalist, I am prepared for all events and all kinds of people.
“And when Russell Brand decided he would like to kiss me, well, you size up the situation.
“You think, ‘Mmm-hmm. Am I in danger? What could go wrong?’”
As the public question how Russell was able to hide in plain sight for so long, it has emerged that several warnings about his predatory nature seemingly fell on deaf ears at the time.
Dannii Minogue was one such celebrity who sounded the alarm about Russell’s way back in 2006. The Australian singer appeared on his MTV chat show and soon after labelled him a “vile” man who had made “shocking remarks that I can’t even repeat”.
“He is completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator. I certainly don’t think he has cured his sex addiction, that’s for sure,” she said.
‘He wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“He always goes that step too far. Never quite far enough to slap his face, but usually too far.”
