The American Idol star Katharine McPhee recently responded to a resurfaced interview clip (from way back in 2013) with Russell Brand. Yes, the one where he pulled her onto his lap during Jimmy Fallon’s talk show. During their appearance, Brand’s attempts to flirt with the American Idol alum made her visibly uncomfortable.
This old clip started making rounds again because of recent allegations against Brand. But McPhee’s take on it is that — it was harmless and happened ages ago.
Katherine McPhee Addresses Russell Brand’s On-Set Incident Amid Ongoing Investigation
In that old clip, Russell Brand is seen grabbing Katharine McPhee’s arm and pulling her onto his lap during The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. He then hugged her from behind and held her hips.
Jimmy Fallon tried to dissuade Brand, but he just kept going and even said, “For the Queen!” as he bounced her on his lap. The two switched places as Fallon looked nervous and said, “Russell, look away.” When moving, Brand said, “I’ll just sit here with my sexual charisma.” It was all quite bizarre. However, McPhee has now responded to this, saying (via Daily Mail):
“This specific incident was over 10 years ago and it was harmless.”
Well, looks like she has moved on from that awkward moment. But this came after Russell Brand has been accused of r*pe and s*xual assault by four women, detailing incidents that span over seven years. It came to light through an investigation by the UK’s Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4’s Dispatches.
Russell Brand’s Response to the S*xual Assault Allegations
As the allegations against Russell Brand emerged, some disturbing old videos and comments from his past have again resurfaced online. These include comments he made during a podcast appearance in 2013, during which he made inappropriate jokes and references. These revelations have added to the controversy surrounding Brand and raised questions about his past behavior and comments.
So, on Friday, the day before the investigation was published online, Brand shared a video on Instagram where he denied “serious criminal allegations.”
“I’ve received two extremely disturbing letters, or a letter and an email, one from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper, listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks, but amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks, are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.”
As a result of the allegations and public scrutiny, Brand’s UK tour has been put on hold. Even a talent agency and publisher have also terminated their associations with him.
Source: The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Daily Mail, Instagram
