Entertainment

Katy Perry Under Police Investigation After Ruby Rose Assault Claim

By Erica Coleman · April 15, 2026

What started as a social media dispute escalated this week into a formal criminal investigation.

Victoria Police confirmed Wednesday that detectives are investigating a historical sexual assault allegation tied to Katy Perry, after actress Ruby Rose publicly accused the pop star of assaulting her at a Melbourne nightclub in 2010. “Melbourne Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team detectives are investigating a historical sexual assault that occurred in Melbourne in 2010,” a Victoria Police spokesperson told The Tab. “As the investigation remains ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

Rose, best known for her role in Orange Is the New Black, made the allegation publicly on Threads over the weekend, describing an incident she said occurred at Melbourne’s Spice Market nightclub when both women were in their early 20s. On Tuesday, she announced via Threads that she had finalized all police reports and could no longer speak publicly about the case. She wrote that stepping back from public commentary was “a standard request from the police” and said it would allow her to begin “the healing process.”

Perry’s team denied the allegations immediately and forcefully. “The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous reckless lies,” a representative told Variety. “Ms. Rose has a well-documented history of making serious public allegations on social media against various individuals, claims that have repeatedly been denied by those named.”

The incident allegedly occurred in August 2010, during a period when reports from Australian outlets place both Perry and Rose at the Spice Market nightclub in Melbourne’s CBD. Perry was in Australia at the time promoting her album Teenage Dream. Rose said she had waited nearly two decades to speak publicly and claimed to have corroborating photos and witnesses.

The allegations surfaced initially as a social media exchange and quickly drew global attention given both women’s profiles. Perry is one of the most commercially successful pop artists in history — known for hits including Roar, Firework, and I Kissed a Girl. Rose built a significant following through her Netflix series work and has been a prominent public figure in Australia and internationally.

Whether the Victoria Police investigation proceeds to charges is entirely unresolved. Historical assault cases face significant evidentiary challenges, particularly those involving incidents from 16 years ago. Perry remains in a position of categorical denial, and Rose has now committed to allowing the formal process to run its course without public commentary.

The investigation is ongoing. Neither side’s legal teams have indicated what comes next.