A broadcaster who once shared stages and friendships with two men now facing grave public reckoning has stepped forward to say he was kept in the dark, and that a decades-old joke he delivered, a line he insists he did not write, now reads as something he would never have let pass had he known what lay behind it. In the long and uneasy story of how fame shields some people from consequence while exposing others to harm, his words sit at the edge of a reckoning still unfolding, where accountability reaches not only the accused but also those who laughed nearby. The women whose accounts now stan
Jonathan Ross 'horrified' as Walliams allegations emerge and he addresses a 2004 joke about the comedian
Several women have alleged that Walliams sexually assaulted or groomed them as teenagers, and Russell Brand has been jailed for sex offences against women.
A tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today
Mark
Why did Ross feel he had to say anything at all?
Mimi
Because the 2004 clip resurfaced. A joke about the Comedy Awards going home with Walliams, with a 15 year old in the punchline, looks very different now.
Mark
What is his defence?
Mimi
That the script team gave him the line, and he took it as a nod to Walliams publicly dating younger women. He also calls it tasteless.
Luke
That's his account of what he understood at the time. Nothing in the reporting confirms what the writers intended, and we haven't heard from them.
Mark
And the allegations themselves?
Mimi
They come from a three-year ITV News and Guardian investigation: claims of assault, grooming of teenagers, and harassment at Britain's Got Talent and HarperCollins.
Luke
They are allegations. Walliams denies wrongdoing and says he is not a predator and has not broken the law.
Mark
Is the law involved yet?
Mimi
The Met says it has received no related reports so far, and it has contacted the media organisations so any potential victims know how to report.
Luke
So no police investigation is confirmed. And Walliams hasn't responded to the documentary itself; the letter we have was sent months ago.
Il Polso
- A 2004 awards joke about David Walliams has resurfaced, and its punchline now carries a shadow it never seemed to have before.
- Russell Brand's jailing and an ITV and Guardian documentary on Walliams have pulled a famous circle back into an uncomfortable spotlight.
- Jonathan Ross insists he was genuinely unaware of their conduct, saying he is horrified and would have refused the line had he known.
- Walliams denies wrongdoing in a private letter, calling his past conduct thoughtless rather than predatory, while the Met says no related reports have yet been filed.
- Women who say they were assaulted or groomed as teenagers have spoken publicly, and police have said any new complaints will be carefully assessed.
A broadcaster who once shared stages and friendships with two men now facing grave public reckoning has stepped forward to say he was kept in the dark, and that a decades-old joke he delivered, a line he insists he did not write, now reads as something he would never have let pass had he known what lay behind it. In the long and uneasy story of how fame shields some people from consequence while exposing others to harm, his words sit at the edge of a reckoning still unfolding, where accountability reaches not only the accused but also those who laughed nearby. The women whose accounts now stand in public view remain at the center, even as the men at the heart of the story deny wrongdoing and the police wait to see whether new voices will come forward.
Jonathan Ross has issued a statement saying he is horrified by the allegations against David Walliams and by the crimes committed by Russell Brand. The 65-year-old broadcaster says he was once on friendly terms with both men and was genuinely unaware of what they were doing. His thoughts, he says, are with the many women who have come forward with courage.
His words arrived as Brand was jailed for sex offences against women, and as an ITV documentary, David Walliams: Power & Silence, drew fresh attention. The film grew out of a three-year joint investigation by ITV News and The Guardian into allegations spanning more than two decades. Several women describe being groomed as teenagers, and one describes an encounter at 15 that she calls sexual assault. There are also claims of harassment connected to Britain's Got Talent and to the publisher HarperCollins.
Ross also addressed an old clip from the 2004 Comedy Awards, in which he joked that the awards, like most 15-year-olds, were probably going home with Walliams. He says the line was submitted by the awards script team, and that at the time he took the punchline to be about Walliams's public dating of younger women, exaggerated for effect. He now calls it tasteless and says he would not make it today. Had he suspected any real events behind it, he says, he would have refused and would not have wanted to continue a close relationship with Walliams.
Walliams, in a letter understood to have been sent to the journalists months ago, denies wrongdoing. He admits to thoughtless behaviour in casual relationships and says he regrets not always considering others' feelings, but insists he is not a predator and has not broken the law. The Metropolitan Police say they have received no related reports so far, and have said that anyone who comes forward will be assessed carefully and supported by specialist officers.
Jonathan Ross has put out a statement saying he is horrified by the allegations against David Walliams and by the crimes of Russell Brand. The 65-year-old broadcaster said he was once on friendly terms with both men, 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.
He spoke after Brand was jailed for sex offences against women, and after an ITV documentary on Walliams, David Walliams: Power & Silence, was released. It is scheduled to air at 10.50pm and is already available on YouTube and ITVX. The Mirror reported Ross's remarks.
Ross also addressed an old video from the 2004 Comedy Awards that has resurfaced. In it he 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. Ross said he recognises how deeply shocking it is to revisit the footage, in which he made light of the idea of Walliams going home with a 15 year old.
He said the joke was submitted to him by the awards' script writing team. At the time, he believed the punchline referred to the fact that Walliams had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect. He called it a tasteless joke that he would not dream of making today about anyone, though he added that this was beside the point.
Ross said that had he had any reason to suspect the line referred to real events, he would have refused to use it and would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with Walliams. He concluded that he likes to think he would have acted on that knowledge.
The documentary comes from a three-year joint investigation by ITV News and The Guardian, which uncovered multiple allegations of sexual misconduct involving the comedian and author across more than two decades. The hour-long film sets out several accusations. One woman describes an encounter with Walliams when she was 15 as sexual assault. Several others accuse him of grooming them as teenagers. One alleges that he began contacting her when she was 15, after she met him at a Little Britain fan event, and that a sexual relationship began when she was 17. There are also allegations of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment during his time on Britain's Got Talent and in his dealings with the publisher HarperCollins.
Walliams denies any wrongdoing. In a letter understood to have been sent months ago to the journalists working on the investigation, he said he had behaved thoughtlessly towards people he had casual sexual relationships with and had not always taken their feelings into account, which he regrets. He acknowledged that a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, but said abusing it 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 that some women he met 10 to 20 years ago now express hurt or anger. He had not responded since his name was published on Tuesday.
The Metropolitan Police said it is aware of media reports about allegations involving a man in his 50s, but has received no related reports of sexual assault or other offences. Any reports will be carefully assessed, and those who come forward will be supported by specialist officers. Last week, the force contacted the media organisations involved in civil proceedings over protecting that individual's identity, so that any potential victims they have spoken to know how to report allegations to police.
Citazioni salienti
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
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