Brand, who pleaded not guilty, was found guilty of raping a fan and sexually assaulting three other women. He was acquitted of two other rape charges and attempted indecent assault, is due to be sentenced on Monday, and is under investigation for two further rape allegations. During the trial he was described as a ruthless, calculated and manipulative sexual predator.
Brand has been involved with Maha Action since 2025 and has appeared as a featured speaker on a number of the group's calls, criticising vaccines and vaccine mandates, junk food and pharmaceutical companies while praising Kennedy and other Trump administration officials. In September he moderated a segment at the Maha Summit, a daylong event that featured Kennedy, JD Vance and other administration officials. During a joint appearance with Mehmet Oz, a senior US health official, Oz introduced Brand by saying “Russell Brand was backstage hugging the secretary of agriculture, but here he is,” before adding, “Took Maha to a whole new level.” Brand replied: “She initiated that contact, I should make clear, doctor.” At the end of the segment, Kennedy, Oz and another health department official, Dan Brillman, joined Brand for photos in front of the audience.
Lyons, who runs Maha Action, has close business ties to Kennedy and published a book Brand wrote about converting to Christianity. He accompanied Brand as he left court during the first week of the trial, according to video captured by Reuters, and on the Maha Action call the following day urged people to buy Brand's book before handing over to Brand. On the October call, he told Brand: "You've just been a great force in the world and a great force for Maha." Lyons did not respond to the Guardian's request for comment after the conviction.
During the two Maha Action calls Brand joined during the trial, he did not address the charges against him, but spoke about experiencing "the ceremonial pressure of a trial" and praised Kennedy, Oz and others in the movement. In the second call, on 21 October, he thanked Lyons: "Even in a time of great adversity, knowing that I have your support, Tony, has been incredibly valuable."
Brand, a British citizen, moved to the United States before the 2024 presidential election and has referred to the US as "your country." "Your country has a lot of problems. Not as much as mine, as a matter of fact," he said at the Maha Summit. The US Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to messages seeking comment on the involvement of Kennedy, Oz and Brillman with Brand.