Katharine McPhee has spoken out about a “resurfaced” video of herself and Russell Brand during a talk show appearance over a decade ago.
Back in 2013, the Smash actor appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s US talk show, during which fellow guest Brand pulled her onto his lap after being told to allow Katharine to have his seat.
On Tuesday – following the Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches’ reports about allegations of rape, sexual assault and abuse made against the comedian, all of which he has strongly denied, insisting that all of his sexual relationships have been consensual – the Daily Mail published a piece about the decade-old clip.
Linking to their article on Instagram, they wrote that Katharine “looks so uncomfortable” in the footage, prompting a response from the former American Idol runner-up.
Addressing the Daily Mail directly, she wrote: “I know nothing [of] what you are trying to claim here but this specific incident was over 10 years ago and it was harmless.
“Please don’t try and use me for whatever purpose you are trying to serve.”
In the past few days, Brand has been dropped by his agents, while a number of charitable organisations he has supported in the past have also severed ties with him.
The remaining dates of his UK tour have been postponed, while both the BBC and Channel 4 have removed select shows featuring Brand from their catch-up services.
Meanwhile, the BBC previously said it would be “urgently looking into the issues raised” by the Sunday Times and Dispatches report, while Channel 4 has also begun an internal inquiry.