Katharine McPhee Addresses Resurfaced Clip Of Russell Brand Bouncing Her On His Lap
Katharine McPhee is opening up about resurfaced footage of her and Russell Brand that has fans in an uproar.
In the 2013 clip that’s recently been making rounds across the internet, the British comedian pulls her onto his lap during a joint appearance on “The Tonight Show.”
The controversial moment happened after host Jimmy Fallon asked Brand to change seats so McPhee, who was married at the time, could sit down. The “American Idol” alum then jokingly sat on Brand’s lap instead as he told Fallon, “Katharine is welcome to sit here.”
After the “Get Him to the Greek” star positioned her on his lap, he squeezed his arms around McPhee’s waist.
Realizing what Brand planned to do, Fallon began begging him, “No Russell, don’t even say ‘For the Queen,’ you can’t.”
The actor then yelled out, “For the Queen,” and began bouncing McPhee, who appeared visibly shocked, on his lap as she immediately leapt up.
Fallon shook his head in disapproval, telling Brand, “Russell, please stop. Look away,” but he kept the chaos going by telling McPhee that she was beautiful.
“I’ll just sit here with my sexual charisma,” he added as the trio all took separate seats.
In the comments section of a recent social media post about the interaction, McPhee shared her thoughts.
“I know nothing [about] what you are trying to claim here but this specific incident was over 10 years ago and it was harmless,” McPhee wrote in a comment on a Daily Mail Instagram post on Tuesday. “Please don’t try and use me for whatever purpose you are trying to serve.”
The clip going viral comes just days after several U.K.-based outlets released a joint statement to announce they were investigating allegations that Brand had sexually assaulted and abused four women between 2006 and 2013.
One of Brand’s accusers said she had a three-month relationship with Brand when she was 16 and alleged that he “forced his penis down her throat” at the time.
Reps for McPhee nor Brand did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Brand has been dropped by his management team amid the sexual misconduct allegations.
On Friday, Brand denied the allegations in a YouTube video just a day before the full investigation was published.
In the video, he shared that he had been made aware of “some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.”
He also acknowledged that he was “very promiscuous” at the height of his career, but asserted that his sexual encounters were “absolutely always consensual.” He went on to suggest that the media could be orchestrating a “coordinated attack” against him.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.