Russell Brand sued for £220,000 by publisher over failure to write two self-help books
14 March 2025, 10:56
Russell Brand is being sued for £220,000 by his publisher after failing to write two self-help books as part of a multi-book deal that was scrapped following sexual abuse allegations.
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The comedian, actor and podcast host, 49, was accused of sexual assaults against four women between 2006 and 2013 as part of a joint investigation between The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches in September 2023.
Now, legal papers filed against him at the High Court in London reveal Brand’s company, Pablo Diablo’s Legitimate Business Firm Ltd, signed a deal that came with a £575,000 advance for “two original literary works of non-fiction”.
Signed in January 2021 according to High Court papers, the deal agreed with Pan Macmillan's imprint Bluebird
The star had previously written several books with the publisher, including bestseller Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions.
The book's sequel, entitled Recovery: The Workbook: a Practical Guide to Finding Freedom From Our Addictions, was due to hit shelves last December but never materialised as a result of the allegations against him.
It comes as the entertainer's Hollywood career - having starred in hit films including Get Him To The Greek and Forgetting Sarah Marshall - came to an abrupt halt following the slew of allegations against him.
According to the paperwork, Brand received a £75,000 advance for the first book and £142,000 for the second upon signing the contract with the publisher.
The sum of £37,500 would then be paid upon delivery of the first manuscript, with £142,000 paid for the second.
When the book failed to materialise, the publisher was forced to pay a ghostwriter £3,000 to produced a draft despite claims Brand “did not engage” on the subject.
Brand was also due to receive the same sum for completing promotion work linked to the book deals, the papers reveal.
The court papers also reveal that the agency that negotiated the deal, Curtis Brown, had “terminated their relationship” with Brand.
It comes months after the star admitted speeding after being caught driving at 95mph on the motorway.
Brand was caught speeding on the M4 motorway on June 16 last year near Slough in Berkshire, breaking the 70mph limit.
He also drove his Mini at 37mph in a 30mph zone in Shiplake, near his Oxfordshire home on March 23, High Wycombe Magistrates' Court heard.
