The 51-year-old comedian arrived at Southwark Crown Court on Monday morning with his wife, Laura Brand.
The trial concerns incidents that allegedly occurred between 1999 and 2009 and involves six women. Russell Brand denies the charges, according to CNN. He has been on bail pending the trial, which is expected to last 10-12 weeks.
In 2023, The Sunday Times and television company Channel 4 published a joint investigation in which several women came forward and said Brand had abused them in the UK and Los Angeles.
This prompted the police investigation to intensify.
One of the women was 16 when the alleged abuse occurred.
Russell Brand started out as a stand-up comedian and made his breakthrough on British television in the early 2000s. His success took him to Hollywood.
He married artist Katy Perry in 2010, but the couple divorced in 2011.
He now lives in Florida, where he has built his own online platform featuring videos about health, conspiracy theories and religion.
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