Katherine Ryan appears to speak about Russell Brand as she addresses ‘elephant in the room’

Ryan is said to have called Brand out on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle in 2018.

Katherine Ryan – who caused a huge stir last year when she said it was an “open secret” that there was a predator in the TV industry – has reportedly broken her silence since Russell Brand was accused of sexual assault. The comedian and writer reportedly joked about the “elephant in the room” on Wednesday evening at the RTS Cambridge, MailOnline reported. However, she reportedly later insisted the remark was in reference to her recent two-stone weight loss, as she avoided any references to Brand who was the focus of a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches last weekend. Brand is currently facing several allegations of sexual assault as highlighted in a joint investigation by the Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches. He denies any criminal wrongdoing. As part of the joint investigation, four women alleged assaults between 2006 and 2013, one of which was 16 at the time. The Met Police has urged any alleged victims to contact them and has said it has received another allegation of sexual assault from 2003. Since it published the report, The Times has said it has been contacted by "several women" with claims about the actor and comedian. However, it added that these allegations have not been investigated yet and will now be "rigorously checked." Ryan made headlines in 2022 after stating that it was an "open secret" that a British, male comedian who she had worked with was an alleged "sexual predator". Speaking on Louis Theroux's Interviews series, Ryan said: "I informed him to his face that he was a predator". At the time, she did not name the star or detail when and where she had made the accusation. Brand’s last major TV job in the UK reportedly ended with him being dropped after he was accused of being a “sexual predator” while the show was being recorded, a new report suggests. Deadline reported on Monday (18 September) that Brand was booked as a judge on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle in 2018 but only lasted one season after facing claims on-camera that he had sexually assaulted women. Deadline said it has confirmed with multiple sources that Ryan was referring to Brand and Roast Battle. Brand has denied all allegations made against him. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisishelp.ie or by calling a 24hr helpline run by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on 1800 77 8888.