Key Takeaways
- Megyn Kelly rejected Russell Brand’s guilty verdicts and called his 10-year, six-month prison sentence a “political witch hunt,” while Elon Musk described his punishment as “Unjust.”
- Jurors convicted Brand of rape and three sexual assaults involving four women and acquitted him of three other charges; he denied all seven charges.
- Musk questioned the prosecution of decades-old allegations, but England imposes no statute of limitations on rape or sexual assault, and police are investigating two additional rape allegations against Brand.
Russell Brand has been sentenced to more than a decade behind bars, but Megyn Kelly and Elon Musk are questioning the criminal case that put him there. Kelly has openly rejected the jury's findings, while Musk has criticized the legal standards surrounding the prosecution of the former Hollywood star, who was convicted of rape and sexual assault last week.
According to The New York Times, Kelly, the former Fox News host, didn't wait for Brand's sentencing to make her position clear. Shortly after the guilty verdicts were announced Thursday, Nov. 5, she addressed the case during a YouTube livestream.
"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 also suggested that Brand's political transformation had made him a target.
"I feel indignant that this obvious conservative stalwart has been targeted," she added.
Musk joined the conversation by responding to an X post criticizing the prosecution of Brand for offenses dating back nearly two decades.
"This is a crazy legal standard," the billionaire wrote.
However, England has no statute of limitations for rape or sexual assault, meaning allegations can be prosecuted regardless of how much time has passed.
Musk subsequently described Brand's potential sentence as "Unjust" in another X exchange before Monday's sentencing.
Kelly doubled down after Judge Joel Bennathan sentenced Brand to 10 years and six months in prison at London's Southwark Crown Court.
"This is an outrage," she said during the latest episode of The Megyn Kelly Show. "This is an obvious double standard. And if you needed any further proof that this is a political witch hunt against Russell Brand, that judge just gave it to us."
She also accused Bennathan of bias, alleging that he "absolutely had a finger on the scale."
The judge, meanwhile, delivered a sharply different assessment of Brand's conduct.
Brand was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women. Jurors acquitted him of two additional rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
The comedian denied all seven charges throughout the four-week trial.
Kelly and Musk's reactions come after Brand spent years cultivating a substantial audience among American conservative commentators.
Once associated with left-wing politics in Britain, the former Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor shifted toward anti-establishment commentary, frequently criticizing mainstream media, government institutions, and public health policies.
He also developed relationships with prominent conservative personalities, including Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Ben Shapiro.
Carlson previously suggested Brand was being targeted for challenging powerful institutions, although he has not publicly addressed the conviction.
The criminal case followed a 2023 investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4's Dispatches. Police are now investigating two additional rape allegations against Brand.
If you or someone you know has been affected by rape or sexual assault, confidential support is available through the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or online at RAINN.org.
