Jonathan Ross has broken his silence on the allegations against David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand, saying he is "horrified" by both.
The ITV star said: "I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation."
Ross, 65, added that he was at one time friendly with both men but was "genuinely unaware of their conduct".
Statement on Walliams and Brand
In a statement, Ross said: "There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men, and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct. My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward."
He also addressed an old video from an awards show in which he joked: "The comedy awards is 15 years old - 15 years old! And like most 15 year olds, it's drunk, it's unpredictable and it's probably going home with David Walliams."
Ross said: "I recognise how deeply shocking it is to revisit footage of a joke delivered by me at the Comedy Awards in 2004, in which I make light of the notion of Walliams going home with a 15 year old."
Explanation of the 2004 joke
He explained: "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."
Ross added: "It is also a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone, but that is beside the point."
He continued: "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."
Allegations against Walliams and Brand
Walliams was accused of allegedly using his status as a celebrity to prey on vulnerable teenagers and young women for sex. A three-year investigation into the 55-year-old claims that he abused his power and position for sexual purposes on multiple occasions with teenagers as young as 15, as a number of women made new allegations against him.
The joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News has been published online and features a number of women telling how Walliams is said to have allegedly preyed on them for sexual purposes.
Walliams has denied all wrongdoing. In a letter addressed to the journalists working on the investigation, Walliams wrote: "Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with."
He added: "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."
Walliams concluded: "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."
Brand is currently in jail after he was convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults last week.
Ross concluded: "I also like to think that I would have acted upon that knowledge."
