Katharine McPhee says Russell Brand was ‘harmless’ when she fell on his lap during Jimmy Fallon interview in 2013: report
Katharine McPhee didn’t think Russell Brand was trying to be malicious when he tricked her into sitting on his lap during a 2013 interview with Jimmy Fallon, according to the Daily Mail.
After the clip went viral amid Brand’s recent s****l abuse allegations, the singer-songwriter said, according to the outlet, “This specific incident happened over 10 years ago and it was harmless.”
Representatives for McPhee, 39, did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
The “American Idol” alum’s comment comes after fans called out the awkward moment that happened when Brand and McPhee appeared on “The Tonight Show” more than a decade ago.
In the resurfaced clip, McPhee could be seen walking towards Fallon when Brand grabbed her arm and pulled her to sit on his lap.
He then began hugging her from behind and grabbing her hips while she tried to move away from him.
Despite his discomfort, he went further, shouting: “For the queen!” before bouncing her on his lap. Fallon begged the “Arthur” star to “stop,” to no avail.
The uncomfortable clip resurfaced after several women accused the actor, now 48, of rape, s****l a*sault and emotional abuse.
The alleged incidents, believed to have taken place between 2006 and 2013, were included in an expose published by the Sunday Times and in a Channel 4 “Dispatches” special.
One of the anonymous accusers, who was in his 30s at the time, alleged that Brand raped her “against a wall” in his Los Angeles home in 2012 – just five months after his divorce from Katy Perry.
Meanwhile, a second accuser claimed she was just 16 – which is the legal age of consent in the UK – when she found herself in an “emotionally abusive and controlling” relationship with Brand, then aged 31.
After Brand learned her age, he reportedly said, “I don’t care if you’re 12…I need to know where I stand legally.”
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Then, once the actor discovered that the minor was still a virgin, he would have responded: “‘Oh my God, my baby, my baby'” and would have “rocked” her in his arms “like a child and caressed.” [her] hair,” saying, “‘You’re like my little doll.’ »
Towards the end of their three-month relationship, the actor also allegedly “forced his penis down her throat” until she was gagging. He wouldn’t let go until the victim hit him.
Before the expose was even published, Brand released a lengthy video in which he denied the “litany of blatant and aggressive attacks.”
Since the allegations made headlines over the weekend, several old videos and disturbing comments from the actor have resurfaced online.
In 2013, the comedian appeared on Richard Herring’s “Leicester Square Theater” podcast and described himself as a “s****l narcissist” who had become a “pretty complete show-off.”
“Oh, I raped someone once,” he told the audience (according to the Daily Mail), adding, “and I k**led her afterwards.”
The “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” star also joked that the ancient Greeks were “clever” for having s*x with children while creating the foundations of modern math.
“I made another triangle. I’m a fucking little kid. It’s good. Fk the kid with the triangle,” he said in the since-deleted episode. “No, it’s too much.”
Since the accusations came to light, Brand’s comedy tour has been postponed.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
