Meta disables Russell Brand’s Instagram and Facebook accounts after conviction

Meta has disabled Russell Brand’s Instagram and Facebook accounts following his conviction for rape and sexual assault, removing two platforms on which he had millions of followers. His account on X remains active.

Brand, 51, was sentenced this week to 10-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others in offences between 2004 and 2009.

A post on his X account announced the removal and included screenshots of an Instagram notice saying the account had been disabled. Brand wrote: “There was never a Russell Brand, according to @meta. Thank God for @elonmusk. Stay tuned.”

Meta’s community standards allow it to restrict or remove accounts owned by people convicted of sex offences. Brand is expected to serve seven years in prison before being released on licence.

The conviction followed allegations about Brand’s behaviour reported in a media investigation in 2023, which he denies. YouTube suspended his channels from earning advertising revenue that year, citing its creator responsibility policy.