Netflix’s ‘Russell Brand: Open Secret’ Arrives Days After the Comedian Was Jailed

For years, the idea that Russell Brand’s behavior was an open secret hung over his career. When a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches was published in 2023, TV and radio executives and female comedians described his alleged behavior as an “open secret.” That phrase has now become the title of a Netflix documentary about the comedian.

The 2023 investigation reported allegations of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse during a seven-year period at the height of his fame. Brand denied all wrongdoing, and detectives began investigating in September 2023. He was charged in April 2025.

Netflix has now confirmed that ‘Russell Brand: Open Secret’ premieres on Nov. 13. Its own description says it charts his path from comedy and film stardom to political activism and YouTube fame, then to his criminal trial. The streamer’s announcement also promises inside voices and archive footage, along with a look at the investigation run by The Times and The Sunday Times.

The film is directed by Olivia Isaacs and comes from 72 Films, a Fremantle company that also produced ‘Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story’. It runs 1 hour and 24 minutes. Netflix’s announcement does not name the interviewees, and it does not say whether Brand took part.

The release lands in the middle of a very public week. On Nov. 5, a London court found Brand guilty of 1 count of rape and 3 counts of sexual assault. He was acquitted of 2 other rape counts and 1 count of attempted indecent assault.

He was sentenced on Monday to 10 1/2 years in prison, and the judge said he would serve two thirds in custody before being released on licence. The judge told Brand that he had shown arrogant disregard for any woman’s right to say no. Brand’s sentence began the day of the verdict, when he was taken into custody after bail was refused.

The earlier Channel 4 documentary was a central issue in court. All 6 complainants came forward to police after a documentary was broadcast in 2023. Brand’s defense argued that their cases were undermined by the fact that they only went to police years after the alleged assaults and following that broadcast.

The jury convicted him on 4 of the 7 charges and cleared him on the other 3. Brand denied the allegations, saying that consent was always non-negotiable. In recent years he had stepped away from mainstream entertainment and moved to Florida, building an online following with videos about wellness, conspiracy theories and religion.

RUSSELL BRAND: OPEN SECRET, a new documentary charting the story of Russell Brand’s meteoric rise and steep fall following allegations of sexual offences, premieres tomorrow on Netflix. The documentary features inside voices and archive footage providing insight into Brand’s life and the investigation run by The Times and The Sunday Times.

— Netflix (@netflix) November 12, 2026

Brand has a past with the platform. His stand-up special ‘Russell Brand: Re:Birth’ was first published on Netflix on Dec. 4, 2018. In 2023, Netflix was reported to be under pressure to remove programs linked to him.

Now the streamer is telling the story from the other side of the case. Whether ‘Open Secret’ offers new revelations or mostly retraces the investigation and trial will become clear once viewers press play. Anyone affected by the issues it covers can find support through the Rape Crisis charity in the UK or RAINN in the US.

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