Russell Brand's X account has shared a video describing his conviction as a "political hit job", just days after the comedian was jailed for rape and sexual assault. Brand, 51, is behind bars at HMP Wandsworth, where prisoners are not allowed to use social media, so the posts are believed to have been made by someone else with access to his account.

The account has remained active even though Meta has removed Brand's Facebook and Instagram profiles. Since the sentence was passed, it has shared a petition calling for Brand to be freed and posted a YouTube video by commentator Matt Walsh titled "Why Britain Needed Russell Brand Silenced".

Brand was convicted at Southwark Crown Court of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, and was sentenced on Monday 9 November to 10 years and six months in prison. He is expected to serve seven years before being released on licence.

What the account has posted since the sentence

On 11 November, two days after Brand was sentenced, a post appeared on his X account, @rustyrockets, alongside screenshots of the notices Meta had sent about disabling his other accounts. The post read: "There never was a Russell Brand, according to @Meta. Thank God for @elonmusk. Stay tuned."

It was the account's first post since 25 October. The account has more than 10 million followers. Meta confirmed that Brand's Facebook and Instagram accounts, which had 6.2 million and more than five million followers respectively, had been removed under the company's account integrity policy, which covers accounts owned by convicted sex offenders.

The video shared afterwards promotes the claim that Brand was investigated because he had "betrayed the left" and because he had criticised Covid-19 lockdowns. That claim has not been supported by evidence: Brand was convicted by a jury after a trial at Southwark Crown Court, where the judge said his fame had protected him until journalists published allegations against him in 2023.

Reaction to the posts

The response to the posts on X has been largely negative, with many users pointing out that Brand is in prison because a jury found him guilty of rape and sexual assault, rather than because of any political motive. Some supporters, however, posted Bible verses and messages backing him.

A number of figures on the American political right have defended Brand. Donald Trump Jr has claimed that nobody had a problem with the comedian until he moved to the political right and embraced Christianity, and has criticised the length of the sentence. Elon Musk, the owner of X, described the sentence as "unjust" in a post on 8 November, before sentencing had taken place.

Bear Grylls, who was present when Brand was baptised in the River Thames in 2023, has said that "justice has now been served" following the conviction.

The conviction and sentence

At sentencing on 9 November, Mr Justice Bennathan told Brand: "About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous. You were clever – and in many people's eyes, funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator. Your status protected you until 2023 when journalists published allegations."

The allegations against Brand were first reported in a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches programme in 2023. Brand denied the claims. In the years that followed, he built a large online following as a wellness influencer and spiritual podcaster, presenting himself as a reformed Christian.

His management agency cut ties with him after the allegations emerged, and his publisher ended his book contract. His YouTube account was demonetised, although his content remains available on several streaming platforms.

It has not been confirmed who is operating Brand's X account while he is in prison, and there is no public confirmation that Brand personally authorised the posts. What is clear is that, unlike Meta, X has not removed his profile, and the account continues to publish material to its millions of followers while he serves his sentence.