Piers Morgan has called David Walliams a “nasty piece of work” as their long-running television feud resurfaced following the former Britain’s Got Talent judge’s failed injunction bid.
On Tuesday (November 10), it was confirmed that multiple women have accused Walliams of sexual misconduct. The allegations were exposed after the 55-year-old failed in a bid to secure an injunction to prevent their publication.
Failed injunction and allegations
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”.
Denying any wrongdoing, Walliams unsuccessfully sought an injunction to prevent these publications because of the risk he would take his own life after two previous suicide attempts. The anonymity the author was granted was lifted after his injunction bid was dismissed and GNM and ITN published their investigations.
Walliams' response
In a letter understood to have been sent several months ago 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.”
Morgan's reaction and feud history
Several hours after Walliams was named as the famous man at the centre of a failed injunction bid, Piers posted on X, previously known as Twitter: “Shocking, but unsurprising. Walliams is a nasty piece of work.”
Piers and Walliams' feud dates back many years, with both of them judging on Britain’s Got Talent in the past. Piers worked on the first four seasons of the ITV series with Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden, which aired between 2007 and 2010.
Walliams was a judge on the programme from 2012 until 2022. He left his role after it emerged that he had allegedly made rude comments about the auditionees two years earlier.
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 Mirror reports.
Issuing a statement at the time of the scandal, 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.”
Speaking about Walliams to The Mirror in 2020, Piers 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.”
Production company and broadcaster statements
Following the publication of allegations surrounding Walliams, Britain’s Got Talent production company, Fremantle UK, said in a statement: “David Walliams left Britain’s Got Talent four years ago. During his time on the show and in the four years since, no complaint has ever been made - either to Fremantle UK, the broadcaster or regulator... regarding his behaviour.
“Nevertheless, if anyone feels they have been the subject of any impropriety or wrongdoing by anyone, we encourage them to come forward. We will treat any complaints seriously and investigate thoroughly and to the best of our ability.”
Syco Entertainment, the company that created Britain’s Got Talent, added: “Syco Entertainment had no knowledge of the allegations described and was not made aware of them at the time.”
ITV, which broadcasts Britain’s Got Talent, stated: “We are very sorry to hear about the concerns that have been raised. BGT is produced for ITV by Fremantle, an independent production company.
“Although ITV is the broadcaster of the programme, the producer has day to day responsibility for the running of the production, including all aspects of duty of care, and for ensuring compliance with all legal and regulatory obligations as well as ITV’s production and compliance guidelines.”
