Katherine Ryan Avoids “Elephant In The Room” By Not Mentioning Russell Brand During RTS Cambridge Comedy Set

Katherine Ryan avoided the “elephant in the room” at the RTS Cambridge tonight by not mentioning Russell Brand during an RTS Cambridge comedy set.

The Duchess star joked that the “elephant in the room” was that she had lost two stones in the past two months, as she took attendees through an after-dinner comedy set covering her sex life, kids and her ancestry.

Deadline revealed earlier this week that Ryan turned the heat on Brand a number of times during the filming of Roast Battle on Comedy Central in 2018, Brand’s last mainstream TV appearance.

After being introduced by Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon, Ryan didn’t comment on the Brand allegations during tonight’s comedy set, which was jovially received. “Thank you so much for what must have felt like a very strange part of the convention,” she concluded.

Ryan has previously spoken about her experience on Roast Battle, but had not named Brand or the show she was working on. In an appearance on BBC series Louis Theroux Interviews... last year, Ryan revealed that she confronted her unnamed co-star: “I – in front of loads of people, in the format of the show – said to this person’s face that they are a predator.”

Deadline confirmed with multiple sources earlier this week that she was referring to Brand and Roast Battle.

Brand was accused on Saturday in a joint Times and Channel 4 investigation of various allegations ranging from rape to sexual assault by four women. Brand vehemently denies the claims and has said all of his relationships were consensual.

On Saturday, Brand preemptively denied the “litany” of allegations about his criminal behavior, which were published several hours later and included allegations of rape and sexual assault.