Russell Brand Admits Exploitative Sex Life

0:00It's April 23rd. Welcome in. This is Sydney News Today, where local news meets AI. Russell Brande just came clean about sleeping with a 16-year-old girl back when he was 30 years old. He stressed that, while the age of consent in the UK is 16, his actions were straight-up exploitive because of the huge power gap from his fame. He's now facing seven charges total, two counts of rape, one in decent assault, and four sexual assaults. He tied to six women from 1999 to 2005. Last year, he pleaded not guilty to five of them, then added two more in February, still pleading not guilty. In a recent interview, Brande owned up to how his past sex life was selfish, driven by addiction and celebrity status that made consent feel endless, but really exploited women. He called himself a hedonist and fool back then, saying it needs redemption. The trial on all seven charges kicks off in October and could run up to eight weeks. Brande, once a big name in British comedy and films like For Getting Sarah Marshall, has

1:02shifted to online rants on politics these days. This admission drops right as his legal battles heat up, leaving everyone watching how it plays out in court.