Katherine Ryan feels 'grief and relief' over Russell Brand verdict

Comedian Katherine Ryan feels "grief alongside relief" over Russell Brand's rape and sexual assault conviction.

The 51-year-old actor and comedian was remanded in custody on Thursday after being found guilty on one charge of rape and three counts of sexual assault.

Addressing the conviction on the latest episode of her podcast, Telling Everybody Everything, Ryan said there are "a lot of women speaking privately and quietly" following the verdict and feel "a very nuanced mix of emotions".

Ryan claimed in a 2022 interview with Louis Theroux that there was a "predator" in the entertainment industry and she had told that person to "his face" while filming a comedy show. She declined to name the celebrity or the show as it would be a "litigious minefield", but many people believed she was referring to her fellow Roast Battle comic Brand.

The Canadian comedian, who has not confirmed she was referring to the Get Him to the Greek star, shared her own feelings on the podcast, saying, "It really made me feel just quite dysregulated again, caught off-guard, emotional, in awe of the survivors who also had nothing to gain. They came forward despite Russell Brand having fame, power, money, and a legion of fans ready to attack them."

She added, "I will never be someone who like, dances on graves. There has been some justice done today. There's a level of relief, but there's grief alongside relief."

Ryan noted that her thoughts are with those who were "hurt" and admitted she was worried about "what happens next".

"Because he's obviously spent a long time cultivating this idea that the establishment have invented these claims against him, and he's martyred himself to a growing audience who really still think that it is the courageous survivors who are the villains in this story," she explained.

The 43-year-old appeared on Roast Battle with Brand in 2018. According to Deadline, her jabs about his predatory behaviour didn't make the final cut.

On Thursday, after a trial at London's Southwark Crown Court, the jury also acquitted the Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Brand, who had denied all the allegations, was remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing on Monday.

After the verdict, a spokesperson for London's Metropolitan Police announced they are investigating further rape allegations against Brand from two women.