Who is Chris Pavlovski? All about the Rumble CEO as UK Parliament response letter goes viral amid Russell Brand scandal

Online video streaming platform Rumble's CEO, Chris Pavlovski, has released a statement in response to a letter received from the U.K. Parliament to demonetize Russell Brand due to allegations of s*xual misconduct, but they had declined. On September 21, the Toronto-based company posted a letter sent by the Parliament and signed by the Chair of the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee Dame Caroline Dinenage, where they expressed concern that the 48-year-old personality might continue using the video-sharing platform to make money.

“While we recognize that Rumble is not the creator of the content published by Mr. Brand, we are concerned that he may be able to profit from his content on the platform. We would be grateful if you could confirm whether Mr. Brand is able to monetize his content, including his videos relating to the serious accusations against him."

The letter also asked the video-sharing platform's authorities if they would be joining YouTube in suspending Russell Brand's ability to earn profit from the platform.

However, the response issued by the video-sharing platform to the Parliament denied the request and called the federal interference with the internet's free expression “deeply inappropriate and dangerous.”

“While Rumble obviously deplores sexual assault, rape, and all serious crimes, and believes that both alleged victims and the accused are entitled to a full and serious investigation, it is vital to note that recent allegations against Russell Brand have nothing to do with content on Rumble’s platform."

The post even prompted a "good for you" response from X's CEO Elon Musk, who brands himself as a supporter of free speech and no censorship.

---

All you need to know about Rumble's CEO Chris Pavlovski

Established in 2013 by Canadian businessman Chris Pavlovksi, Rumble was intended to serve as a substitute for YouTube for independent video producers.

As per his LinkedIn profile, Pavlovski graduated from the University of Toronto Mississauga. Before heading the video-sharing platform, Chris worked with Microsoft Corporation, Next Giant Leap, and Jolted Media Group. He also serves as a board member of Cosmic Development.

Rumble's website claims that it is "immune to cancel culture" and intends to "restore the internet to its roots by making it free and open once again." It has been characterized as "neutral" by Pavlovksi.

The video-sharing platform has the financial support of Peter Thiel, a billionaire and influential conservative startup investor, who made an investment in 2021. Additionally, the platform benefits from the involvement of Dan Bongino, a conservative former Fox News anchor, who boasts a subscriber base of 2.9 million. The valuation of the platform exceeds $2 billion.

Despite the company's claims that it seeks to remain impartial and merely fight censorship, all of the most popular channels on the video-sharing platform are managed by people on the right.

The website became especially well-known after Andrew Tate moved here from other platforms where he was barred. Today, he has 1.61 million subscribers to his "TateSpeech" channel. Both Donald Trump and his son have well-liked channels.

‏In response to the UK Parliament's request to demonetize Brand, the company said that, unlike YouTube, they would not remove Russell Brand's channels solely based on the accusations.

“Rumble stands for very different values. We have devoted ourselves to the vital cause of defending a free internet — meaning an internet where no one arbitrarily dictates which ideas can or cannot be heard, or which citizens may or may not be entitled to a platform. We regard it as deeply inappropriate and dangerous that the UK Parliament would attempt to control who is allowed to speak on our platform or to earn a living from doing so."

As of writing, Russell Brand has not made any remarks on Rumble's response to the UK Parliament.