Among Shelter Island’s charming farmers’ markets, vegetable stands and WASP-y beach clubs, there will be a somewhat unlikely visitor this weekend, we’re told.
Russell Brand – who recently pleaded not guilty to no fewer than three rapes, as well as a handful of sexual assault charges, in the UK – is the “headliner” at a conference at the island’s picturesque Ram’s Head Inn.
The embattled star is one of several speakers at the New York leg of the United We Stand Tour, a speaking tour organized by the election reform foundation Free & Equal.
But his legal struggles are serious business.
In April 2025, British police charged the “Get Him To The Greek” star with rape and sexual assault following an 18-month investigation.
Cops said Brand faces one count of rape, one of indecent assault, one of oral rape and two of sexual assault stemming from alleged interactions with four women between 1999 and 2005.
He responded to these accusations by stating online at the time: “I have never engaged in non-consensual activity. I pray you can see that when you look in my eyes.”
Then, in December, he was charged – and pleaded not guilty – to two more rape charges linked to two other women.
The Shelter Island event—whose promotional materials for the event feature a huge photo of the old comic strip—advertises Brand as an “author, broadcaster, and independent voice” headlining the Shelter Island conference “in an open conversation about capital, sovereignty, and autonomy.”
Contacted for comment on the striking headliner choice, Free and Equal founder Christina Tobin noted that Brand is “innocent until proven guilty” and is one of the two headliners. (The other is the fiscal responsibility advocate known as Joe From Texas).
Meanwhile, hotel management seemed to suggest that Brand’s inclusion strengthened the diversity of voices within the lineup.
Others featured include Ron Paul, Joe Kent, Sheriff Mack, Patrick Byrne, David Walker, Michael Terpin, Joby Weeks and many more.