Elon Musk on Russell Brand: 'It can't be guilty until proven innocent'

Elon Musk said during a Thursday space on X that platforms should wait for a conviction prior to demonetizing actor and podcast host Russell Brand, who faces allegations of sexual assault.

Brand has denied all the claims against him, though the public backlash has prompted YouTube to demonetize his account. Other platforms such as Rumble have also faced pressure to take such action.

"There obviously needs to be a conviction here," Musk said. "It can't be guilty until proven innocent."

"They're just sort of in the witch burning phase here... I think this witch burning might be deep-seated, frankly," Musk said. "We can't be destroying lives on the basis of potentially false accusations."

Conservative media personality Ben Shapiro hosted the space, which also discussed free speech, antisemitism, and faith.