Netflix Keeps Russell Brand Special on Its Service After Conviction

Netflix will keep streaming Russell Brand: Re:Birth, the comedian's 2018 stand-up show, even though Brand has been convicted of rape and sexual assault. Deadline reported the decision on 11 November 2026.

The special was filmed in front of a live audience at the Hackney Empire in East London. It is a Netflix original. Netflix decided against removing it after internal discussions at the streaming service.

Brand was found guilty of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison. In his sentencing remarks, made after a four-week trial, Mr Justice Bennathan called Brand a "sexual predator." The judge said Brand's fame protected him until 2023, when Channel 4 and The Times of London published allegations about his conduct.

The show stays up, but Netflix has changed how it is presented. The streamer will no longer actively promote it. It will not appear in viewing recommendations, the personalised lists Netflix suggests to each user. Searching for Brand's name on Netflix does not bring the special up. It can still be found by searching for "British stand-up comedy."

For viewers, the practical result is simple. Anyone who wants to watch can still find the show, but they have to look for it by genre rather than by name. Netflix's decision means the special is no longer offered to people who have not gone looking for it.

Brand's case has been one of the most closely followed in British entertainment this year, and it has put pressure on broadcasters and streamers to decide what to do with his earlier work. Netflix's position, as reported, is that the title stays available while its promotion stops.