Multiple brands are removing their ads from the video platform Rumble in the wake of recent allegations over comedian and commentator Russell Brand.
Burger King, along with Hello Fresh and the fashion company ASOS, are among the brands reportedly removing their ads from the platform, where Brand has almost 1.6 million followers. Rumble is known for being an alternative for YouTube, which recently blocked Brand from profiting off its platform in response to the sexual assault accusations made against him.
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The brands removing their ads from Rumble followed Brand announcing on Friday that he would continue to post content to Rumble. In the video, Brand thanked his followers for their support for him as he faces these accusations, and for “questioning the information that you’ve been presented with.”
“Rumble [has] made a clear commitment to free speech, and Rumble is the primary platform that we will be streaming from,” Brand said.
Rumble has issued a statement of support for Brand’s ability to continue on the platform, saying it would not prevent the commentator from earning money off of his content there. Rumble recently faced questions from the United Kingdom Parliament in “an extremely disturbing letter” over Brand’s monetization on the platform.
“Although it may be politically and socially easier for Rumble to join a cancel culture mob, doing so would be a violation of our company’s values and mission,” the statement from Rumble read. “We emphatically reject the UK Parliament’s demands.”
Four women have accused Brand of sexual assault allegations, according to multiple reports. Brand has denied the allegations.
Multiple outlets have made an attempt to purge their sites of any content related to Brand, with channels such as BBC and Channel 4, a British television network, removing episodes of television series in which Brand was a guest star. Brand’s 2009 comedy special, Russell Brand in New York City, was also removed from Paramount+ over the past week.
Spotify announced that it would not remove content from its platform featuring Brand, including his podcast Under the Skin with Russell Brand. Spotify’s decision stems from how it would only remove content directly in breach of its terms and conditions.
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The accusations against Brand have split commentators, with British journalist Piers Morgan describing Big Tech companies acting quickly to distance themselves from Brand as “very disturbing Orwellian.” Journalist Megyn Kelly, meanwhile, has suggested that people “keep an open mind” rather than immediately jump to Brand’s defense, noting there is “a lot of evidence” in this case.
The Washington Examiner has contacted Burger King for comment.
