Kate Garraway defended Jonathan Ross during a heated exchange on Good Morning Britain, shutting down a guest as the conversation about Russell Brand and David Walliams escalated.
On Thursday, November 12, Garraway and co-host Richard Madeley were joined by Ayesha Hazarika and Nadine Dorries to discuss the latest headlines. The discussion covered the fallout from Brand's imprisonment and the revelation that Walliams was the famous man who sought an injunction to block reporting of allegations against him.
Brand sentenced, Walliams named
Brand was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, November 9, after being convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault following a four-week trial. Mr Justice Bennathan criticised Brand's "staggering arrogance" as he handed down the sentence. The jury found him not guilty of two counts of rape and one charge of attempted indecent assault.
On Tuesday, November 10, it was revealed that multiple women have accused Walliams of sexual misconduct. The allegations came to light after Walliams failed in a bid to secure an injunction to prevent their publication. He was confirmed to be the man who sought an injunction against Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian.
Lawyers for the media organisations 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 denies any wrongdoing.
Jonathan Ross issues statement
Later that evening, Jonathan Ross issued a statement on Brand and Walliams, saying that while he was at one time friendly with both men, he was "genuinely unaware of their conduct". He addressed an old video from a 2004 awards show where 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 explained that he did not write the joke himself, saying: "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. This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards scriptwriting team, and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect. It is also a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone, but that is beside the point. 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."
Garraway hits back on GMB
On GMB, the hosts and guests discussed Walliams' best-selling children's books amid reports that they have started disappearing from shelves. During the conversation, Baroness Hazarika said: "I know he's a friend of yours," as she turned the discussion back to Ross and the "culture" of "speaking in disrespectful ways".
Cutting in, Garraway said: "The thing about Jonathan Ross that I was saying is that he has been very kind to me and a very good friend and I didn't know him at all during the period you're referring to. I think the reason it came out is that it was a joke that was written for him at an awards ceremony... He wanted to make the point that was written for him."
As Baroness Hazarika interjected, an exasperated Garraway said: "Please, I'm just trying to make my point!" She continued: "The point I was trying to make is that it was totally wrong, but actually, the culture at the time meant that a show that was put on TV had scriptwriters use..."
Garraway was cut off, and as the women went back and forth, she said of Ross: "He didn't know anything about it," before adding in a raised tone: "Jonathan Ross has done nothing wrong in relation to this." Richard Madeley also got involved, saying: "Legally, we have to emphasise that Jonathan Ross has every right to say, on his own behalf, that he absolutely didn't know about the behaviour of either of those two men..."
As Garraway and the guests started to talk again, Madeley interjected: "Excuse me, until we know otherwise, we have to take that at face value. That's a matter of legality."
