Actor and comedian Russell Brand has been accused of rape, multiple sexual assaults and emotional abuse in a joint investigation by three British media outlets.

Four women have come forward — including one who was aged 16 at the time — alleging offences over a seven-year period when Brand was at the height of his fame.

Brand posted a pre-emptive video online denying the allegations before the stories were published by The Sunday Times, The Times of London and aired on Channel 4’s ‘Dispatches‘.

The Get Him to the Greek star’s post on X (Twitter) had been viewed more than 34 million times on Sunday morning (AEDT).

The Sunday Times writes that four women claim they were assaulted between 2006 and 2013 when Brand was a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 and acting in Hollywood.

One woman alleges she was raped, while three others have accused him of sexual assault. One of the women also said he had been physically and emotionally abusive.

The first woman alleges Brand raped her against a wall in his Los Angeles home and that she was treated at a rape crisis centre on the same day.

The Sunday Times writes that hours after leaving his house, she told Brand in a text message that she had been scared by him, writing: “When a girl say[s] NO it means no.” Brand replied saying he was “very sorry”.

Russell Brand, pictured in 2012, starred in a number of Hollywood films. Photo: Getty

A second woman alleges Brand assaulted her when he was 31 and she was 16 and still at school and that he referred to her as “the child”.

A third woman claims he sexually assaulted her when they worked together in Los Angeles and that he threatened to take legal action if she told anyone else.

The fourth described being sexually assaulted by Brand and him being physically and emotionally abusive towards her, The Sunday Times states.

Brand, who has in recent years delved into conspiracy theory, slammed the “extremely egregious and aggressive attacks” on him in the “mainstream media”.

He strongly denied the allegations which stemmed from what he said was his “promiscuous” past, and said all his relationships were consensual.

“As I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous,” he said.

“Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual.

“I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I’m being transparent about it now as well.

“And to see that transparency metastasised into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question, is there another agenda at play?”

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The women said that they only felt ready to tell their stories after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand’s newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer as a factor in their decision to speak.

Brand said the media reports were part of a coordinated attack designed to discredit him because of his views.

He has been criticised for expressing skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines and interviewing contentious podcasters like Joe Rogan.

“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” he said

“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies and, as I have written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.”

Russell Brand and current wife Laura Gallacher in Los Angeles in 2018. Photo: Getty

Brand rose to fame as a stand-up comic in Britain in the early 2000s, which led to starring roles on Channel 4 and later BBC Radio, where he capitalised on a reputation for outrageous behaviour and risque banter.

He later made the jump to Hollywood, appearing in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall in 2008 and the remake of Arthur in 2011.

In recent years, he transformed himself into a political commentator and influencer posting YouTube videos on subjects such as personal freedom and the COVID-19 pandemic.

His Stay Free with Russell Brand podcast states it helps people “understand and see the ulterior truth”.

Brand was married to US pop star Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012.

He has been married to current wife Laura Gallacher for six years and they have three children.