Celebrities have begun speaking out following allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams, with Piers Morgan among those to publicly criticise the comedian. The former Good Morning Britain presenter spoke out about Walliams, while Jonathan Ross has said he is "horrified" by the allegations, admitting he was once on friendly terms with the comedian but was unaware of his alleged conduct.
Taking to social media, Piers wrote: "Shocking, but unsurprising. Walliams is a nasty piece of work."
Allegations and Legal Action
Walliams has denied all the allegations. On Tuesday, November 10, The Guardian and ITV News reported that multiple women have accused the 55-year-old of sexual misconduct. The allegations emerged after Walliams failed in a bid to secure an injunction preventing their publication.
Walliams brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian, ahead of the two organisations reporting allegations against him, including of sexual misconduct and potential criminal activity. Lawyers for the media organisations previously told the High Court in London that the allegations involved Walliams' alleged "abuse of power and status" to contact young women and try to engage in "inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities".
Walliams unsuccessfully sought an injunction to prevent the publications, citing concerns about the impact on his mental health and referring to two previous suicide attempts. The anonymity the author had been granted was lifted after his injunction bid was dismissed, allowing GNM and ITN to publish their investigations.
In a letter by Walliams to journalists working on the ITV News and Guardian investigations, he wrote: "Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with. I realise I did not always take people's feelings properly into account. That is something I regret. And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did."
He added: "I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me."
Piers Morgan's Feud with David Walliams
Piers and Walliams' feud dates back many years, with both having previously served as judges on Britain's Got Talent. Piers worked on the first four seasons of the ITV series alongside Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden, which aired between 2007 and 2010. Walliams joined the judging panel in 2012 and remained on the programme until 2022, when he left following the emergence of recordings in which he had allegedly made derogatory comments about auditionees.
Walliams was reported to have called one contestant "c***" three times before claiming that one woman was like the "slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f*** them, but you don't", The Guardian reports. Issuing a statement at the time, Walliams said: "I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain's Got Talent in 2020. These were private conversations and – like most conversations with friends – were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry."
Piers previously made his feelings about his former co-star clear in an interview with The Mirror in 2020. Speaking about Walliams, he reportedly said: "I do have conversations with BGT every now and again, particularly after Simon had his injury. But I couldn't work with Walliams. I think he is a duplicitous, treacherous, piece of work. I will come back to BGT if the money is right and if they guarantee Walliams gets fired. I might even make it a contractual clause that I get to be the one who tells him he is fired."
Jonathan Ross 'Horrified' by Allegations
TV presenter Jonathan Ross has said he is "horrified" by the allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand. In a statement reported by the BBC, Ross said he had once been "on friendly terms with both men" but was "genuinely unaware of their conduct" at the time.
He also addressed a joke he made about Walliams at a comedy awards ceremony in 2004, in which the punchline suggested the comedian would be "going home" with a 15-year-old girl. Describing the remark as "tasteless", Ross said he had been given the joke by the awards show's scriptwriting team and believed it referred to Walliams having publicly dated younger women, with the age difference exaggerated for comic effect.
He said: "This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards script writing team and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect. Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him."
Ross, one of Britain's best-known television presenters, has hosted both Walliams and Brand on his chat show. He said he was "as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation". "My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward," he added.
Ross and Brand were also at the centre of a separate controversy in 2008, when they left lewd voicemails for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs during a BBC Radio 2 broadcast. The pair made comments about Brand's consensual relationship with Sachs's granddaughter, Georgina Baillie, prompting widespread criticism and an investigation by the BBC.
Lucy Beaumont Comes Forward as 'Whistleblower'
Comedian Lucy Beaumont has revealed that a former TV worker confided in her about their experience working on a show with David Walliams around three years ago. Speaking to Cathy Newman on Sky News on Tuesday, November 10, the 43-year-old said the worker approached her while they were working together on another programme.
Beaumont said the worker claimed their job had involved taking "young girls" to Walliams' dressing room, adding that they felt the women were vulnerable. She later tracked down one of the women allegedly involved, who she described as being in a "really bad way", and offered to help pay legal fees relating to a non-disclosure agreement. Beaumont said the woman declined her offer of support, despite her fears for her wellbeing. "I did as much as I could do privately and whenever I've heard a rumour about anyone, I've done everything I can," she told Newman.
