Female comedians in Australia shared a colour-coded spreadsheet to keep them safe from predators.

The recent allegations against British comedian Russell Brand have opened the floodgates for women to speak up about the ways abusive men are protected in the comedy scene.

In a damning investigation by Sydney Morning Herald's culture reporter, Hannah Story, Australian women working in comedy have lifted the lid on the pervasive abuse and inappropriate behaviour that's remained hidden for far too long.

The SMH report shared that in 2017, during the grips of the #MeToo movement – which was holding powerful men responsible for decades-long abuse – female comedians in Australia started circulating a colour-coded spreadsheet.

The spreadsheet listed the names of male comedians, alongside a key: red symbolised “don’t be alone with this person”, orange signified they "crossed the line, but it wasn’t assault”, and yellow meant they were “a bit of a creep”.

After a couple months of being shared, the spreadsheet was deleted.

But women in Australian comedy found other ways to share their experiences. Colin From Accounts actor and comedian Elouise Eftos revealed that women started group chats to flag certain male comedians.

“If you post that you’re in a line-up with someone who’s a known sexual predator, you’ll get a little ping from a group chat or from a female comic,” she said. 

Eftos added that she wishes the responsibility didn't have to land on women to protect each other. “We have to do all this work because we’re women in the industry. I wish that male comics would step up,” she said.

In an industry that often makes jokes at the expense of women, this isn't the first we've heard of abusive and inappropriate actions. Pop singer and TikTok star Peach PRC accused Aussie comedian Alex Williamson of “abusive” and “predatory” behaviour in 2021.

“I’m not the kind of person to do this ever but I will not be able to sleep at night or forgive myself if I don’t come out and warn people about this man," her Instagram allegation read.

“He is abusive, manipulative and predatory and has done absolutely vile things to not only myself but others who I won’t mention for their privacy."

Williamson denied the allegations. In response, he labelled Peach's claims “horse s**t”, writing in a series of Instagram Stories, “Peach was the one that wanted me, I never wanted her." In another comment, he wrote, “I was 29 at the time. What’s the problem in trying to find a 19-year-old?”

In 2018, comedian Zoë Coombs Marr said in a Twitter thread that she had to quit comedy at the age of 26 due to the hostile environment created by male stand-ups.

"I stopped doing standup at 26 after a gig in Sydney when the act before me went into full rape 'riff' that ended with him literally pointing in a young woman’s face in the front row, saying, 'Have you been raped?! No? Are you sure?!'... I was the only woman on a bill of 10 men and this is the guy I had to follow. There was no way I could be funny on that stage," one tweet read.

"THESE are the men we have to share the stage with. THIS is the room every female comic works each night. The kind of room that’ll give a standing o to a known sex offender just for stepping onstage."

Coombes was referring to American comedian Louis C.K., who was welcomed back to the stage after taking a brief break from comedy in light of five women accusing him of sexual misconduct in 2017. 

In June 2020, another American stand-up, Chris D'Elia, was accused of sexual assault and "grooming" by several women.

In the UK, Jimmy Savile's decades of sex crimes came to the surface after his 2011 death. In 2020, British comedian James Veitch was accused of rape and sexual misconduct. 

And most recently, Russell Brand has been faced with a range of rape and sexual assault allegations, including from an Australian woman who this week accused him of assaulting her at his BBC radio show in 2008.

Brand was set to headline The Wanderlust Festival in Australia next year, but both the organiser and Brand have made the mutual decision for the appearance to be cancelled. 

In the case of Australian women sharing their stories, the claims have never gone further than whispers and online rumours, with minimal consequences. And sadly, it seems like they may never go further than that. The reasons #MeToo never took flight in the Australian comedy scene, or Australian entertainment sphere at large, go back to how small these circles tend to be – where saying silent is rewarded and speaking up is penalised.

“I’ve unfortunately seen several women who have been chased out of comedy because of speaking up," Gruen writer and comedian Alice Tovey told SMH. "And you don’t want that to happen because you don’t do comedy because it’s a good career choice but because it’s your passion and you love it.”

Australia's bulletproof defamation laws are also an overwhelming factor preventing victims' stories being told. This country has a strict set of legal measures that makes it legally hazardous to publicly, and sometimes even privately, out an abuser.

For instance in the US, if a public figure believes they have been defamed, that person needs to prove the defaming statement is false. Whereas in Australia, it's the person who made the alleged defaming statement who has to defend their actions and prove their claim.

This scenario doesn't foster much trust in those who do speak up – instead, accusers are re-victimised and often, re-traumatised by the Australian judicial system.

This issue was explored in the five-part investigative podcast series Everybody Knows, which examined why the #MeToo movement failed to gain any real momentum in the Australian music industry. 

And even if women are brave enough to take on Australia's defamation laws, there are still barriers to speaking up in the comedy circuit. As many women launch sexual assault and rape allegations against Russell Brand, the fans defending him have become increasingly vocal – and vicious.

“They are creating this world in which people act badly and don’t get pulled up on it because they’re famous," comedian Rose Callaghan told SMH.

“The institution and the industry of comedy just doesn’t think that that’s their problem or their business, but they’re the ones that are creating monsters." 

If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home.

Feature image: Getty.