Lunchtime at the Crown Inn near Stonor in Oxfordshire and the pub seems pretty busy.
In fact, this is where the youth gathers – but no one is sitting at the polished wooden bar, and there are no kegs of beer attached to the gas pumps that gleam above.
Instead, the historic building, which has been open to the public since the 14th century, is under new ownership and is no longer technically a public house.
It is, in fact, the nerve center of disgraced former comedian Russell Brand's media empire. A sign reading “Recording Studio” leans against a mantel. There are children's toys on the floor that may belong to his three little offspring.
Russell Brand is spotted at a highway rest stop on January 25, 2024. It is the first time he is seen in public
Pictured: The Crown Inn, Pishill, Oxfordshire, England, where Russell Brand was spotted (stock photo)
One would have thought that Brand, who is being investigated by police over historical sexual allegations, including a rape allegation, and is also the subject of separate investigations by the BBC, Channel 4 and the production company Banijay, would remain in the dark.
However, it can be noted that he now makes millions from ranting conspiracy theory videos that are recorded here and distributed on the social media platform Rumble.
He bought the Crown in December 2021 – before its demise – and it is now used as an office by a team of thirty-somethings who sit at tables, typing on their laptops and talking on cell phones.
A young man sitting on a sofa asks someone to “learn stories about misinformation” when the Mail comes to visit.
After a while a manager called “Nick” appears to warn us that the pub is now private property and asks us to leave the pub.
The locals would find this extremely ironic, as Brand is often accused locally of spreading lies himself.
The reason? When he bought the pub through his video production company Pablo Diablo's Legitimate Business Firm for £870,000, Brand said he planned to reopen it as a cafe and spa, which would at least mean it served the community in some way. The pub had closed during lockdown the year before, but locals hoped it would reopen as Covid subsides.
Instead, he converted it into the brand headquarters – and is now applying for subsequent building permits for use as offices.
It can be revealed that Brand now makes millions from insulting conspiracy theory videos
Brand has established himself as a health and wellness guru in recent years and features various health products in his YouTube videos with which he appears to have commercial ties
Brand now earns an estimated £4.7 million a year from selling exclusive online content featuring his anti-establishment rants. Whether rightly or wrongly, the fact is that his public fall from grace last September did not deprive Brand of his ability to make money.
To recap: Brand was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse against four women in a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. In the hours before the allegations were made public last fall, he strenuously denied the claims, saying his relationships had “always been consensual” and attacking what he called “corruption and censorship in the media” and “deep state collusion.” and corporations”.
The alleged incidents are said to have occurred between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame, working for the BBC and Channel 4 while also appearing in Hollywood films.
Ten days later, Scotland Yard announced that it had opened an investigation into a series of non-current allegations of sexual offenses in London and elsewhere in the UK and would offer specialist support to the women involved.
Once seen as just a toxic womanizer with a habit of making idiotic public statements, he has now decidedly pushed the limits of what is allowed.
Television executives whose companies once lined up to hire him were shocked and saddened that Brand ever had a career on their shilling, while questions were asked about Brand's personal friendship with BBC Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas, evidently filled with rudeness sexual material he had aired while on the channel.
Brand left the BBC in 2008 after he and Jonathan Ross leaked a series of lewd phone messages they had left for former Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs, including claims that Brand had had sex with Sachs' granddaughter.
But despite the public outcry, he undertook a series of successful comedy tours and also published two best-selling memoirs. His personal life also continued to flourish and in 2015 he moved into a £3.3million home in Marlow, Bucks.
In 2017, he married Laura, the daughter of golfer Bernard Gallacher, a year after she gave birth to their first daughter Mabel. A second daughter, Peggy, followed in 2018, and another child was born last year.
In an interview in 2019, he said of his domestic situation that Laura “does everything.”
Comparing his new country lifestyle to a “luxury prison,” he added, “I used to prioritize excitement, glamor and pleasure, and now I prioritize serenity, calm and utility, and that's definitely a better system.” I probably could have learned it sooner.' The good people of Marlow initially welcomed the couple with open arms. He was the city’s “favorite cockney.”
Brand has always vehemently denied the allegations made against him and claimed that his relationships were “always consensual.”
Russell Brand wore a £1,406 Yves Saint Laurent wool-blend cardigan and aviator hat as he was spotted with his family
He gave a well-received speech about how he felt like he was “coming home” when he turned on the Christmas lights and the local shopkeepers and neighbors responded positively to him. That has now changed.
He is often seen walking his dog in the park and frequently visits Cooper's Coffee Roastery and Bar. He also has a habit of walking around barefoot.
One resident, Lucy Helps, said: “I haven't seen him since the problems started. “The last time I saw him was last summer outside The Ivy restaurant. A car pulled up and he got out in a kimono and nothing else and no shoes with two little girls and I thought, “No one else would be allowed to go to The Ivy without clothes on.”
Brand and Laura briefly dated in 2007, when she was just 19, after being introduced by her TV presenter sister Kirsty, and as he put it, they had “a lovely time.” . but we weren't ready for a commitment. I, in particular, was like an unmanned lawnmower gnawing through a jungle of possibilities.
On the second date of the rekindled romance, he took her to meet with his therapist for “marriage counseling,” and they quickly reassessed what they wanted from marriage and from each other.
In an interview five years ago, he said they still see the therapist “regularly,” both alone and together. Lifestyle blogger Laura has been publishing inspirational content such as The Joy Journal for several years and is also the author of several books.
Russell Brand has recruited more than 120,000 people, each paying $60 (£47.30) a year to join his community group Awakened Wonders
Brand was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse against four women last September in a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches
Since the allegations, Laura appears to have darkened her hair but remains with her husband.
In fact, it can be stated that they spent Christmas and New Year together in a large rented house near Stirling in Scotland.
In January, Brand posted a photo on social media of himself with fellow conspiracy theorist and GB News presenter Neil Oliver, who lives in the area.
Some locals who saw Brand at a pub in Stirling said he was so taken with the location that he even talked about wanting to buy a second home there. He definitely has the resources. While his days of flying private jets and appearing topless on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine are over, he has found a new following – in America.
The 48-year-old Brand continues to post his free videos on both YouTube, where he has 6.7 million followers, and the video platform Rumble, where he has 1.8 million followers.
He founded his Rumble channel called “Stay Free” in September 2022 after YouTube removed one of his videos saying it violated its medical misinformation policies.
Although YouTube banned advertising from appearing in his videos when he was first accused of a series of sexual assaults last September – effectively an attempt to force him off the platform – he's been plugging health drinks and anti-aging creams instead at.
These include “emergency packs” of medication in case of a “new pandemic”, each costing $299.99 (£236.73). They contain antiviral and antiparasitic medications and are manufactured by a company based in Florida. whHe has recruited more than 120,000 people, each paying $60 (£47.30) a year, to join his community group Awakened Wonders on Rumble's social media platform Locals.
Subscribers can access exclusive, ad-free content from Brand, which offers conspiracy theories on topics such as Covid and the war in Ukraine.
The total value of subscriptions is almost £5.7m a year, but statements on the Locals website suggest that content creators are charged a 20 per cent commission, although this still leaves Brand with £4.7m left would stay.
Most of his Rumble subscribers appear to be American, reflecting the content, which primarily includes his commentary on US politics, foreign policy and corporate elites profiting from Covid.
The subscription fees are in addition to the estimated £27,000 a month he earns from traditional ads that are allowed to run alongside his videos on Rumble, which is known for its high number of right-wing streamers.
That means Brand's earnings from Rumble and Locals more than make up for the estimated £1 million a year he lost when YouTube axed advertising on his channel.
Elsewhere, the latest accounts from Pablo Diablo's Legitimate Business Firm Limited show just how well it is doing – the company made a profit of £2.9m in the 12 months to December 2022, allowing Brand and Laura to receive dividends of £2.9m of a total of 2.1 million pounds.
The accounts show that the company had healthy assets of more than £4.8 million at the end of the accounting period.
However, no amount of wealth will get him back into the good books of his neighbors, around 50 of whom object to his plans for the crown.
Gabrielle Evans says Russell and Laura Brand showed up at a community meeting last May and told everyone how they were opening a coffee shop, bar and restaurant at The Crown – but didn't mention any plans for offices.
She vehemently opposes the loss of “one of the finest examples of an English country pub”. Another neighbor, Mrs Walmsley, writes: “The applicant. . . The pub hasn't even been open for a day since we bought it.'
It's certainly not a way to make friends. But it seems that after going from media darling to conspiracy theorist, Brand has discovered that he has no need to build local relationships – not while he can make so much money from his army of deceived online fans.
Additional reporting: Stephanie Condron