A presenter who once shared stages and studio laughter with two men now at the center of public reckoning has stepped forward to say he did not see what was hidden in plain sight, or at least did not know it. In the wake of Russell Brand's conviction for rape and sexual assault and a years-long joint investigation alleging that David Walliams preyed on young women and teenagers, Jonathan Ross writes from a place of shock and distance. Walliams, for his part, denies breaking any law, even as the women's accounts he is accused of ignoring continue to enter the public record.
Jonathan Ross Breaks Silence on Walliams and Brand, Says He Was Unaware of Their Conduct
Brand has been convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults, and multiple women have made allegations that Walliams preyed on them, including teenagers as young as 15.
Horrified, he says, and genuinely unaware of their conduct
Mark
Why did Ross feel he had to say anything now?
Mimi
Because a clip from the 2004 Comedy Awards resurfaced. He joked that the awards were probably going home with David Walliams, like a drunk 15-year-old, and Walliams laughed.
Mark
And how does Ross explain it?
Mimi
He says the writing team gave him the joke and he took it as a nod to Walliams dating younger women. He also calls it tasteless.
Luke
That's his account, though. The report doesn't include anything from the Comedy Awards writers, so we only have Ross's word on where the joke came from.
Mark
What are the allegations against Walliams?
Mimi
A three-year Guardian and ITV News investigation says he used his fame to prey on teenagers and young women, some as young as 15.
Luke
Worth stressing they're allegations. Walliams denies breaking the law and says he never abused a power imbalance, though he admits he behaved thoughtlessly.
Mark
Brand's situation is different, then?
Mimi
Yes. Brand has been convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults and is in jail.
Luke
And the photo of celebrities at the charity event? It shows Walliams with a teenager who accuses him of grooming, but the report is explicit that nobody else pictured is suggested to have known anything.
O Pulso
- A 2004 clip of Jonathan Ross joking that Walliams would probably go home with someone who is fifteen has resurfaced and is spreading fast.
- Russell Brand sits in jail after a conviction for one rape and three sexual assaults, raising the stakes for everyone who once worked alongside him.
- A three-year Guardian and ITV investigation keeps adding new accusations against Walliams, including claims involving girls as young as fifteen.
- Ross insists he was genuinely unaware and would have walked away had he known, while Walliams insists he is not a predator and has broken no law.
- The story is still unfolding, with no resolution yet and more allegations likely to surface.
A presenter who once shared stages and studio laughter with two men now at the center of public reckoning has stepped forward to say he did not see what was hidden in plain sight, or at least did not know it. In the wake of Russell Brand's conviction for rape and sexual assault and a years-long joint investigation alleging that David Walliams preyed on young women and teenagers, Jonathan Ross writes from a place of shock and distance. Walliams, for his part, denies breaking any law, even as the women's accounts he is accused of ignoring continue to enter the public record.
Jonathan Ross has issued a statement saying he is horrified by what has come to light about two men he once counted as friends. The presenter says that for a period he was on friendly terms with both Russell Brand and David Walliams, and that during that time he was genuinely unaware of their conduct. His thoughts, he writes, are with the many women who have come forward.
The statement comes after two major developments. Brand is in jail following a conviction for one rape and three sexual assaults. Separately, a Guardian and ITV News investigation, three years in the making, accuses Walliams of using his fame to prey on vulnerable young women and teenagers, some as young as fifteen, and includes new allegations from several women.
Walliams denies all wrongdoing. He acknowledges he sometimes behaved thoughtlessly and failed to consider the feelings of people he had casual relationships with, and says he regrets that. He insists that a power imbalance is unavoidable when one party is famous, but that abusing it is something he never did, and he says he has not broken the law.
Ross's statement was prompted partly by old footage from the 2004 Comedy Awards, in which he jokes that the awards, like most fifteen-year-olds, are drunk and probably going home with Walliams, who laughs along. Ross says the joke was written by the awards' script team and that he took it to mean Walliams had dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect. He calls it a tasteless joke he would never make today, and says that had he known it referred to real events, he would have refused to use it and distanced himself from Walliams.
A separate photograph from a charity event, showing Walliams with his arm around a teenager who now accuses him of grooming, also includes Ross, Ricky Gervais, Jane Fallon and Joe Cornish. The report states there is no suggestion any of them knew of wrongdoing.
What remains unresolved is the Walliams case itself. He rejects the allegations, and the investigation continues to bring the women's accounts into public view.
Jonathan Ross has issued a statement saying he is as horrified as the rest of the nation by what has come out about two men he once counted as friends. The presenter, 65, wrote that he was on friendly terms with both Russell Brand and David Walliams at one time, and that during that period he was genuinely unaware of their conduct. His thoughts, he said, are with the many women who have bravely come forward.
The statement follows two developments. Brand is in jail after being convicted last week of one rape and three sexual assaults. And a joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News, three years in the making and now published online, accuses Walliams, 55, of using his celebrity status to prey on vulnerable teenagers and young women for sex. It describes alleged abuses of power on multiple occasions, involving teenagers as young as 15, and includes new allegations from a number of women.
Walliams denies all wrongdoing. In a letter to the journalists behind the investigation, he wrote that he realises he sometimes behaved thoughtlessly toward people he had casual sexual relationships with, and did not always take their feelings properly into account, which he regrets. He acknowledged that a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, but said abusing that power is something else and something he never did. He wrote that he is not a sexual predator and has not broken the law, and that he is devastated some of the women he met 10 to 20 years ago have expressed hurt or anger toward him.
Ross's statement was prompted in part by old footage that resurfaced from the 2004 Comedy Awards. In it, Ross says the awards are 15 years old, and that like most 15-year-olds they are drunk, unpredictable and probably going home with David Walliams. Walliams, in the clip, laughs at the barb.
Ross addressed the clip directly. He said he recognises how deeply shocking it is to revisit it. He said the joke was submitted to him by the awards' script-writing team, and that he took the punchline to refer to Walliams having publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect. He called it a tasteless joke he would not dream of making about anyone today, though he said that was beside the point. Had he had any reason to suspect it referred to real events, he said, he would have refused to use it and would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with Walliams. He added that he likes to think he would have acted on such knowledge.
A separate photograph has also drawn attention. It shows several celebrities at a star-studded charity event, with Walliams pictured with his arm around a teenager who now accuses him of grooming. Ross is among those pictured. The photograph also includes Ricky Gervais, Jane Fallon and Joe Cornish, and the report states there is no suggestion any of them knew of alleged wrongdoing.
What remains open is the Walliams case. He rejects the allegations and says he has broken no law, while the Guardian and ITV investigation has put the women's accounts into the public record and is still drawing new claims.
Citações Notáveis
I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation.— Jonathan Ross
I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law.— David Walliams, in a letter to journalists
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em The daily Star ↗