English actor-turned-conservative activist Russell Brand disturbed onlookers Wednesday after “joking about consent” during a Trump administration health summit — less than two weeks before he goes on trial on rape and sexual assault charges.
“Russell Brand was backstage hugging the secretary of agriculture. But here he is!” said Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator, during a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) summit on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
As Brand made his way on stage, he joked about his embrace of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
“Yes — she initiated that contact, I should make clear, doctor,” Brand said, sending Oz into a laughing fit as the doctor threw back his head and slapped his thighs.
Brand is facing charges for rape, indecent assault, oral rape and sexual assault in the United Kingdom, and is scheduled to stand trial on Oct. 12, where his six accusers are expected to speak to their allegations. Brand has denied any wrongdoing.
Brand’s joke about consent was met with widespread condemnation given the charges filed against him.
“In DC, at the ludicrous MAHA summit, he and Trump aide Mehmet Oz thought joking about consent was funny,” Zeteo’s Andrew Perez and Asawin Suebsaeng wrote in their Wednesday morning newsletter.
Hemant Mehta, a podcast host, author and television personality, sarcastically branded Brand’s joke as “funny,” but for reasons other than Brand likely intended.
“It’s funny because Brand is a sex pest but he was invited to a Republican event anyway,” Mehta wrote in a social media post on X.
Brand endorsed Trump in the 2024 election, and has become a prominent figure among right-wing circles. Amid his rightward shift, he’s also faced growing scrutiny, including for admitting to having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl when he was 30 years old, as well as for promoting a $250 “magical amulet” that he claimed protected its owners from “evil energies” such as Wi-Fi signals.
Oz: Russell Brand was backstage hugging the Secretary of Agriculture
Brand: She initiated that contact.
Oz: Ha! pic.twitter.com/c896RU5ipw
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 29, 2026