David Walliams has been named in allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming made by several women, which he denies. The 55-year-old comedian and actor is not facing criminal charges, but his bid for an injunction to prevent publication of the allegations was dismissed on November 3 by Mr Justice Nicklin, who ruled it would be an "exceptionally serious interference" with freedom of expression. Walliams missed a Monday deadline to take his case to the Court of Appeal after bringing legal action against Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), the publisher of The Guardian.
Responding to the claims, Walliams said: "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."
Rise to fame with Little Britain and Britain's Got Talent
Walliams rose to prominence with the sketch show Little Britain in the 2000s and later became a judge on Britain's Got Talent. Throughout his career, he built friendships with several British celebrities, though many have remained silent about the allegations against him.
Seven close friends from his career
Matt Lucas – Walliams and Lucas met in 1990 at the National Youth Theatre and launched Little Britain as a radio show in 2000 before finding mainstream TV success. They fell out for several years but reunited after the death of their mutual friend Dale Winton. By 2020, Lucas described himself and Walliams as the "best of friends".
Alesha Dixon – Dixon and Walliams developed a friendship after joining the Britain's Got Talent judging panel in 2012. Walliams left the show in 2022 after derogatory comments about contestants emerged. In a 2024 interview with The Times, Dixon said: "David is a friend, and I love him dearly. I was there for him, am there for him, and he’s a part of my life."
Simon Cowell – Cowell and Walliams were once good friends with witty banter on the Britain's Got Talent panel, but their relationship turned bitter in recent years, with sources saying they are no longer on speaking terms. Cowell said of Walliams' exit: "I had not heard them before and, yeah, it was upsetting. But from where I’m sitting, this wasn’t something I believe was constant." In 2025, Walliams joked about winning Best TV Judge at the National Television Awards for four consecutive years, an award Cowell has never won.
Russell Brand – Walliams and Brand met while filming the 2002 TV drama Cruise of the Gods. They grew distant during Brand's drug use but reconnected after his recovery. Walliams said on the Russell Brand Show: "I didn’t see you for a while, and then I saw you again at yoga, and you’d cleaned yourself up. I was very, very proud of you, and then we became really close friends."
Jonathan Ross – Ross was once on friendly terms with both Walliams and Brand but said he was "genuinely unaware of their conduct". A statement from Ross reads: "I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation. 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."
Dale Winton – Winton, a TV presenter and radio DJ, was a close friend of Walliams. After Winton passed away in 2018, Walliams paid tribute on X, saying: "Dale was the best company, always outrageous & hilarious. He adored being in show business & loved meeting fans. He devoted his life to making everyone else happy, his friends, the public & his godsons, even though he found it hard to be happy himself."
James Corden – Walliams and Corden made many appearances together in the 2000s and 2010s, and Corden attended Walliams' wedding to Lara Stone in 2010, along with Alan Carr, Barbara Windsor, and Denise Van Outen.
Walliams has not been seen in public or on television for some time, and the allegations against him were released by ITV and The Guardian.
