Instagram and Facebook ban Russell Brand after rape conviction – but X account is still up

Russell Brand’s Instagram and Facebook pages have been removed by Meta following his rape conviction, but content is still appearing on his X account.

Meta told the former Hollywood actor, who was jailed on Monday, that it disabled his account for not following its community standards.

A notice from the technology company said: “No one can see or find your account and you can’t use it. All your information will be permanently deleted. You cannot request another review of this decision.”

But the convicted rapist still has an active account on Elon Musk’s X, which shared screenshots of Meta’s notices late on Wednesday night.

The post said: “There never was a Russell Brand, according to Meta. Thank God for Elon Musk. Stay tuned.”

Mr Musk is one of several high-profile figures who have defended Brand following his conviction. The tech billionaire had taken to X to describe his sentencing as “unjust”.

There never was a Russell Brand, according to @Meta. Thank God for @elonmusk. Stay tuned. https://t.co/nZTZRfEYM1

— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) November 11, 2026

It is unclear who shared the post on Brand’s page, but it is the first message to appear on his account since he was jailed.

The ex-comedian was jailed for 10-and-a-half years on Monday for raping a fan and sexually assaulting three other women between 2004 and 2009. He will serve at least two-thirds of his sentence in prison.

The 51-year-old, who is serving his sentence in HMP Wandsworth, is now facing two other rape allegations, including one made by a 16-year-old schoolgirl.

Detectives are also investigating a string of other sexual assault allegations on top of that and assessing information from “several people” who came forward either during the star’s four-week trial or since he was convicted.

Brand is the subject of a new Netflix documentary that will air on Friday and details his rise to international fame and dramatic fall from grace.

The new film, Russell Brand: Open Secret, uses insiders’ voices and delves into archive footage to offer an insight into his downfall.

It will also explore the Dispatches investigation for Channel 4 in September 2023, alongside The Times and Sunday Times, which led to the women coming forward to complain and ultimately the four convictions against Brand.

Brand’s conviction along with allegations of sexual misconduct made against David Walliams this week have sparked calls for for the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to be reviewed.

Women and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson said there is “scope to go further” in restricting the use of NDAs, as women in the media industry speak out about the use of the so-called gagging orders.