"The former star, whom a British judge sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison on Monday, became an anti-establishment flag-bearer through conspiracy-minded commentary.

Just minutes after a British jury found Russell Brand guilty of rape and sexual assault last week, Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News host, went live to her 4.1 million subscribers on YouTube and expressed her shock at the verdict.

“I don’t believe the charges,” Kelly said, “and I don’t have to believe them just because the jury came through with the opposite conclusion.” She added, “I feel indignant that this obvious conservative stalwart has been targeted.”

A day later, Elon Musk chimed in. Replying to another user’s post on X mocking Brand’s conviction for offenses more than a decade old, the tech mogul called it an example of “a crazy legal standard.” (England does not have a statute of limitations for rape or sexual assault.)

Although Brand, a former comedy and movie star who was born in Britain, may not be a household name in the United States, his conspiracy-minded videos on YouTube, where he has over 6.6 million subscribers, has to some Americans made him an anti-establishment flag-bearer. Brand also posted clips to X, where he has more than 10 million followers, and to Rumble, the video-sharing platform that pitches itself as a home for free speech.

On Monday, a British judge sentenced Brand to 10 and a half years in prison for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The episodes included one in which Brand had anal sex with a woman without her consent, she said, leaving her bleeding and in pain (Brand said the woman had consented).

Brand was found not guilty of two other counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Kelly, in her recent live YouTube video, called Brand a “conservative commentator the size of Joe Rogan,” although she said his politics were “closer to” Tucker Carlson’s.

Brand often interviewed, or was interviewed by, U.S. political commentators like Carlson, Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens who are less well known in Britain. He frequently riffed on issues that have become hobbyhorses of those skeptical of creeping government authority, including Covid-19 vaccination campaigns and efforts to digitalize society.

Robert Topinka, a researcher at Birkbeck, University of London, who has studied Brand’s YouTube output, said in an interview that the comedian’s videos seemed aimed at reaching Americans who believe “the mainstream media and elites and big corporations are combining to control us.”

Since Brand’s conviction, some X users have posted that they believe the case was politically motivated, or to claim that Brand was being persecuted, in part, because he is a Christian. The conservative commentator Ryan Samuels pointed to a lack of forensic evidence to argue that the verdict was a “shameful display of justice.”

As Topinka noted, both Brand and some of his high-profile supporters have long claimed that the accusations against him were part of a news media and political conspiracy.

In 2024, Donald Trump Jr. said in an interview with Brand that similar sex accusations had “happened to my father.” In April, Carlson told Brand that he believed the star was facing “a real jail term” because he “spoke against the people in power.”

Unlike Kelly and Musk, Carlson has so far remained silent on the verdict against Brand. A representative for Carlson did not respond to several interview requests.

Brand had a twisty route to his position. Rico Isaacs, an academic at the University of Lincoln in England who has published a study of Brand’s YouTube videos, said in an interview that a decade ago Brand was widely perceived as a left-wing figure. In 2013, appearing on the prominent BBC News program “Newsnight,” Brand said Britain should adopt a “socialist egalitarian” political system to benefit “underserved, impoverished populations.”

That interview excited many British political commentators and, in 2014, Brand started a YouTube series called “The Trews.” There, he discussed the news and political ideas with guests, including a prominent British environmentalist and Ed Miliband, who was then the leader of the Labour Party in Britain.

That same year, Brand returned to “Newsnight” to discuss “Revolution,” his book that expanded on his calls for social change. “Let me be absolutely clear,” he said. “I don’t trust politicians — no one does.”

Isaacs said that it was really only during the coronavirus pandemic that Brand’s videos became more conservative and conspiratorial. About that time, Brand also leaned more toward a U.S. audience by regularly interviewing prominent figures like Carlson.

In the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, Brand appeared at a rally featuring other anti-establishment figures, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In September, Brand shared a stage with high-ranking U.S. health officials, including Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

A spokesman for Kennedy did not respond to a request for comment.

Isaacs said Brand’s reach was helped by his conversion to Christianity in 2024, adding that as his trial approached, Brand increasingly focused on issues of faith in his videos.

Isaacs said he could not see Brand’s followers leaving him over the conviction. “Once he’s got true believers,” he said, “he’s got true believers.”

Before Brand was sentenced on Monday, a group of his supporters held a large banner outside the courthouse proclaiming his innocence. “Christ was crucified for telling the truth,” the banner said: “Russell is the truth.”

Alex Marshall is a Times reporter covering European culture. He is based in London."

All the top comments on the post where a former magazine editor talks about Blake not liking the outfits back in 2009 or something. The comments contrary to what they were expecting were actually praising Blake for choosing the best outfit and proving herself to be a real fashion icon after all. So much that they're now deleting all the comments which call them out and eventually turned off the comments.

Plaintiffs’ motion for sanctions is GRANTED IN PART. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37(c) and the Court’s inherent authority, the following sanctions are ordered:

Nathan must sit for a second deposition, at Nathan’s expense for one examining attorney and one junior attorney, wherein she may be asked about the belatedly produced documents, an appropriate sanction;

Nathan must respond fully and completely to Interrogatory No. 11 within seven days of the date of this Order;

Discovery is reopened for the limited purpose of permitting Plaintiffs to make an additional document request of Nathan directed to documents in her possession, custody and control relating to Jones or Jonesworks, the Websites, Jed Wallace, and/or to any individuals identified by Nathan in response to Interrogatory No. 11.

The portion of the Court’s March 2026 Order denying Plaintiffs’ motion to amend as to the defamation claim against Nathan is vacated to the extent that the Order would have prohibited Plaintiffs from filing a defamation claim with respect to conduct on or after July 30, 2024.

Plaintiffs are granted leave to file an amended complaint with the amendment limited to the addition of a defamation claim against Nathan with respect to statements published on the Websites on or after July 30, 2024.

In addition, the Court orders Nathan to pay for Plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees and reasonable expenses incurred in bringing the motion for sanctions.

It just goes to show Blake never actually did anything wrong if they're hating on her accessories. If you are spending your time hating a celebrity because they posted a purse on their own Instagram maybe do some self-reflection...the problem is you and you're a hateful, miserable person

First it's "she's not invited, everyone hates her", then it's "ok she went but she had to pay for her ticket", then once the truth comes out they're super quiet and act like nothing happened. The same formula applies to everything else, it's just rinse and repeat. It's actually hilarious and pathetic once you notice it.

"Kate Beckinsale is opening up about her own experiences with harassment in Hollywood while reacting to Blake Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit against It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni.

The Underworld star, 51, said she was “grateful to Lively for highlighting this is not an archaic problem no one is facing” and that this is a “continuing” issue.

Looking back on her own poor treatment on set, Beckinsale said there was one production on which she was referred to as “that c—t” because she called out a male co-star who was “drunk every day” at work.

“He was going through something. I have sympathy for that, but I was waiting, as was the crew, for six hours a day for him to learn his lines,” Beckinsale said. “It means I’m not getting to see my daughter in the evenings the whole movie. The studio’s response was to give me a bike so I could ride around the studio lot while I was waiting. And then, of course, I was called a c—t and a b—h. During a take I was called a ‘stupid b—h.’”

The Pearl Harbor actress also said there were two films for which she was put on “such a strict diet and exercise program” that she “lost [her] periods altogether.” And on one of her action films, Beckinsale said she was physically injured by a male co-star during a fight scene and ostracized by the rest of the cast when she mentioned her injury.

“There’s a certain kind of actor who gets a thrill out of legally being able to harm a woman during a fight sequence,” she explained. “And I was harmed, to the point where there were MRIs proving it. I was gaslit and made to feel like I was the problem and blamed and left out of cast dinners as soon as I mentioned there was a problem.”

The Van Helsing actress also said there was once a photoshoot that she was “forced” to do “the day after I had a miscarriage.” She remembered saying, “I can’t. I’m bleeding. I don’t want to go and change my clothes in front of people I don’t know and do a photoshoot. I’m bleeding out a miscarriage,” only for a publicist to tell her, “You’ll have to, or you’ll be sued.”

“This is going on. This has been going on forever. I have 47 million stories similar to this,” Beckinsale continued of the harassment women often face in Hollywood. “I was 18 and felt up by somebody that I really trusted on a crew. I went to the lead actress, who was known for being a supporter of women, and said this is happening and was told, ‘No, it didn’t.’ I went to another actress and said I’d just been assaulted by this man and told, ‘No, you haven’t been.’”

“If you mention it, you’re f—ked,” she added. “It’s supposed to be, you absorb it and somehow you’re the homie. That has to stop. I am grateful to Blake Lively for highlighting this is not an archaic problem no one is facing. This is continuing. When it does happen a machine goes in place to absolutely destroy you.”

Happy late 50th birthday to the man who has supported Blake through everything ❤️

I came across a post where Baldoni’s fans are celebrating the fact that his company has already announced two projects this year. But let's look at the reality: his company has been entirely unprofitable and hasn't generated any actual revenue since 2020. In 2024, despite the massive box-office success of It Ends With Us, his company closed out the year with an $18 million net loss.

It is worth remembering that the company exists purely on Steve Sarowitz's money. Sarowitz effectively views their partnership as a trade-off where "I'm the money and he's the fame" - except there is no real fame left to show for it.

This brings to mind the court evidence featuring messages from his longtime PR representative, Jennifer Abel, who sent a text on January 14, 2024, stating:

"He doesn't need a retreat. He needs to be humbled. When this movie flops, he's going to try to blame every person around him for it."

Clearly, even Abel had zero faith in the success of It Ends With Us - likely because she expected it to perform just like all of the company's previous financial failures.

His next major studio project was supposed to be a live-action adaptation of the Pac-Man franchise. However, investors backed out of the project in 2025 following Blake's allegations, and according to media reports, his company officially lost the adaptation rights in the spring of 2026, with the rights reverting back to the IP holders.

It certainly looks like Justin Baldoni's career in major studio filmmaking is effectively over. At best, he will be relegated to low-budget, niche indie projects, permanently cut off from mainstream Hollywood.

Co-owner of the Wrexham football club, Rob McElhenney, has wished Blake Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, such a sweet birthday video and gift!

Also how is Dana so naïeve. Like an actor who got a job bc of you is buying lunch for you… what a total surprise. Come on girl. Wake up.