New College Cancels Russell Brand Appearance

Russell Brand will no longer appear at New College of Florida after he was found guilty of rape and sexual assault by a London jury Thursday, officials confirmed to Inside Higher Ed by email.

“Obviously, New College is moving on,” Virginia Zimmermann, deputy chief of staff, wrote.

The college announced in February 2025 that Brand, a British actor best known for his comedic roles, would participate in its Socratic Stage Dialogue Series. He was scheduled to be part of a talk called “Thinking without Permission: A Conversation with Russell Brand on Free Speech, Censorship, and Cultural Power.”

But after he was criminally charged in April 2025, NCF officials announced they would reschedule the event.

NCF officials told local media last year that “while the conversation remains important, and possibly never more relevant, it is clear the current media climate is a distraction from the deeper purpose of the event—to explore free speech and civil discourse through open dialogue.”

The college’s statement at the time did not reference the charges against Brand, who pleaded not guilty last year. Now, 18 months and a guilty verdict later, Brand’s talk has been called off. College officials did not specify when they made the decision to revoke Brand’s invitation to campus. Brand is currently incarcerated and is scheduled to be sentenced Monday.

Since its launch in 2023, the Socratic Stage Dialogue Series has featured a mix of speakers, ranging from conservative politicians and scholars to science communicator Bill Nye and psychedelic research advocate Rick Doblin.