Russell Brand is reportedly being sued for £200,000 after failing to write two self help books, in a deal that was signed before he was accused of sex abuse by four women.
Book magnates Pan Macmillan are said to have commissioned two self-help books from the disgraced comedian in 2021, offering him a total of £575,000 for ‘two original literary works of non-fiction’.
Brand, 49, is said to have received £75,000 upfront for his first book and £142,000 for his second – with the remaining £179,500 due after he had finished the manuscripts and completed the surrounding promotional work.
But the publishing giant reportedly terminated his contract after a series of women accused him of sexual assaults. He denies the allegations and claims the relationships were consensual.
Now Pan Macmillan has filed to reclaim £220,000 of ‘wasted expenditure’ from Brand and his company, Pablo Diablo’s Legitimate Business Firm, The Times report.
His first book was due to have been submitted in May 2021, with the second set to be delivered that October.
Brand, 49, is said to have received £75,000 upfront for his first book and £142,000 for his second – with the remaining £179,500 due after he had finished the manuscripts and completed the surrounding promotional work
His first book was due to have been submitted in May 2021, with the second set to be delivered that October
When it did not materialise they even paid a ghostwriter £3,000 for a draft even though the legal claim states the controversial comedian ‘did not engage’.
The publisher said that he had ‘failed to produce the typescripts for the books at all’.
When, in 2023, the allegations of sexual abuse came to light, his representative claimed a ‘longer deadline would be needed’.
And Curtis Brown, the agency that negotiated the original book deal, went on to terminate their relationship with Brand, the papers state.
The left-wing comedian turned-Trump supporter’s contract stated, according to The Times, that he: ‘absolutely and unconditionally guarantees to Macmillan … the full and prompt performance and observance of all the obligations required.’
And if he were to default he would: ‘personally fully perform and fulfil such obligations and pay to Macmillan all damages that may arise in consequence of any such default’.
Brand’s profile continues to remain on Macmillan’s website, describing him as a ‘comedian and an addict’.
It continues: ‘Even now as a father, more than fifteen years into recovery he still writes about himself in the third person and that can’t be healthy.
Brand’s profile continues to remain on Macmillan’s website, describing him as a ‘comedian and an addict’. Pictured: With wife Laura Gallacher
‘He has two cats, two dogs, a wife, two daughters, ten chickens and sixty thousand bees in spite of being vegan curious.
‘He is certain that the material world is an illusion but still keeps licking the walls of the hologram.’
Working with the company before, he had previously published bestselling books including Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions and Mentors: How to Help and Be Helped. In December last year Pan Macmillan was due to publish Recovery: The Workbook: a Practical Guide to Finding Freedom From Our Addictions, The Times reports.
It comes as Brand is reportedly being sued over allegations of sex abuse in the first ever known lawsuit brought against him in the UK.
An individual, said to be a woman, has allegedly filed a ‘personal injury sex abuse’ case against Brand at London’s High Court.
He is also facing civil sexual assault claims in the US, where a woman claimed the star exposed himself and assaulted her in 2010.
The newest case was filed in London on February 6, according to The Sun, with legal firm Remedy Law said to be acting on behalf of the anonymous individual.
It comes after the Metropolitan Police gave evidence to the CPS following allegations of sexual assault, rape and emotional abuse by Brand.
The comedian has previously denied all allegations against him, claiming he has never had non-consensual sex.
It comes as Brand is reportedly being sued over allegations of sex abuse in the first ever known lawsuit brought against him in the UK. Pictured: Leaving the Troubabour Wembley Park theatre in north-west London in 2023
In 2023, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches revealed four women had accused Brand of sexual assault between 2006 and 2013.
After the publication of those allegations, officers then received a report of an alleged assault said to have taken place in 2003.
Last month, it was disclosed that Brand is now living in America full-time, with his wife and children. However, he could be extradited to the UK to face allegations of sexual abuse.
The star has reinvented himself as a social commentator, recently recording a video chat with Only Fans star Lily Phillips, who claims to have had sex with 101 men in 24 hours.
Brand told Phillips she was a ‘child of God’ and offered her his ‘service’ and ‘protection’ in the bizarre interview.
The former actor also told the adult content creator that she ‘deserved to be cherished and treasured in every aspect of your life’.
Their conversation was broadcast on Brand’s Rumble channel and was his first public appearance since the BBC apologised to staff over the former presenter’s conduct during his time at the Corporation between 2006 and 2008.
Brand said he was interested in the ‘impact of sex’ on Lily’s ‘precious soul and spirit’, before quoting a Bible reference and asking her: ‘Did you not know that your body is a temple?’
MailOnline has contacted Brand for comment.
