Russell Brand Says Meta Has Removed His Instagram Account
Russell Brand says Meta has removed his Instagram account. He announced it on X on Wednesday, 11 November, and shared a screenshot saying the account had been disabled for not following Meta's rules.
The news follows a court case in which Brand was found guilty of serious sex offences. He was sentenced on Monday, 9 November, to 10 years and six months in prison. He had been convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, according to Variety.
Meta confirmed the removal to TMZ. A company spokesperson said the Instagram account was taken down because it violates Meta's policies. Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, sets the rules for what people can post on its apps.
In his X post, Brand wrote: "There never was a Russell Brand, according to @Meta. Thank God for @elonmusk. Stay tuned." His main X account, @rustyrockets, has about 10 million followers. It was still active when Variety reported on the Instagram removal.
Brand's accounts have faced action on other platforms before. In 2023, YouTube suspended monetisation of his channel, which meant he could no longer earn money from ads on his videos.
Separately, London's Metropolitan Police said it is investigating further rape allegations made by two other women. Those allegations have not been tested in court. The police investigation is separate from the conviction and sentence.
