In the same week that a court sent Russell Brand to prison for rape and sexual assault, a new investigation placed grave allegations against David Walliams, the comedian whose sketches once filled British living rooms. Jonathan Ross, a broadcaster who once shared a friendly footing with both men, now says he was unaware of what was happening and regrets a crude joke from 2004. The episode lands in a familiar place in the national story: the long reckoning with fame, power, and the people who were too young, too vulnerable, or too unheard to be believed sooner. What comes next depends on whethe
Jonathan Ross 'horrified' by Walliams allegations and Brand rape conviction, says he was unaware of conduct
Several women allege Walliams groomed them as teenagers, with one describing an encounter at 15 as sexual assault; Brand was convicted of rape and sexual assault.
"My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward."
Mark
Why does Ross's statement matter here? He isn't accused of anything.
Mimi
Because he sat across from both men on his show for years, and he's pictured at an event attended by one of the women. People want to know what the industry saw.
Luke
Worth being precise: nothing in the reporting says Ross did anything wrong. His claim that he was unaware is his own account, and it stands uncontested rather than confirmed.
Mark
What about the 2004 joke?
Mimi
He called it tasteless and said the writing team submitted it. He read the punchline as a nod to Walliams dating younger women.
Luke
That's his explanation of what he believed then. We can't verify his state of mind, and the source doesn't say who wrote what beyond his claim.
Mark
And Walliams?
Mimi
He denies every allegation, says he's not a predator and hasn't broken the law, but admits he behaved thoughtlessly in casual relationships.
Luke
Keep the categories apart. Brand is convicted. Walliams faces allegations in a media investigation, and the Met says it has received no related reports.
Mark
The agent says he warned authorities and broadcasters.
Luke
That's one person's assertion. The reporting doesn't say who he told or what response he got.
Mimi
What's clear is Nandy's point: these cases relied on women coming forward and on persistent journalists.
O Pulso
- Two scandals broke within a day of each other, and British television is absorbing the shock of both at once.
- Several women allege Walliams groomed them as teenagers, and one describes an encounter at 15 as sexual assault, while he firmly denies wrongdoing.
- Jonathan Ross has issued a statement of horror and regret over an old joke, insisting he knew nothing of the conduct at the time.
- The Metropolitan Police has received no formal reports yet, though several people have approached them about Brand, and the Culture Secretary is calling for protections for staff and whistleblowers.
In the same week that a court sent Russell Brand to prison for rape and sexual assault, a new investigation placed grave allegations against David Walliams, the comedian whose sketches once filled British living rooms. Jonathan Ross, a broadcaster who once shared a friendly footing with both men, now says he was unaware of what was happening and regrets a crude joke from 2004. The episode lands in a familiar place in the national story: the long reckoning with fame, power, and the people who were too young, too vulnerable, or too unheard to be believed sooner. What comes next depends on whether those accounts now find a path to formal scrutiny.
Jonathan Ross has put out a statement saying he is "horrified" by two stories that have hit British television within a day of each other: sexual misconduct allegations against David Walliams, and the rape conviction of Russell Brand. Ross, once on friendly terms with both men, says he was genuinely unaware of their conduct. He also called a 2004 comedy awards joke about Walliams and a 15-year-old "tasteless", explaining he believed it referred to Walliams's public dating of younger women, and insisting he would have refused it had he known otherwise.
The timing is hard to ignore. Brand was sentenced to 10 and a half years on Monday. The next day, ITV News and the Guardian published a three-year joint investigation in which several women say Walliams groomed them as teenagers. Walliams lost a legal bid to stop the claims being published, and he denies all of them, saying he is "not a sexual predator" but conceding he sometimes behaved thoughtlessly toward casual partners.
The accounts are personal and specific. One woman, Lilly Creightmore, told Newsnight that Walliams invited her to live with him at 18, pressured her to share a bed, and turned cold after she refused him. Another describes an encounter at 15 as sexual assault. A talent agent says he raised concerns with authorities and broadcasters, yet nothing followed.
The Met has said it has received no related reports so far, but it is urging anyone affected to come forward. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has called the allegations part of a long pattern of abuse of power and has demanded that women feel safe at work and that whistleblowers be protected. Whether a police report follows is now the question to watch.
Jonathan Ross put out a statement this week saying he is "horrified" by two separate stories that have landed on British television within a day of each other: the allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams, and the rape conviction of Russell Brand. Ross, one of the country's best-known presenters, said he had once been "on friendly terms with both men" but was "genuinely unaware of their conduct" at the time.
The timing is tight. Brand was sentenced on Monday. On Tuesday, ITV News and the Guardian published the results of a joint three-year investigation in which several women accuse Walliams of "grooming" them when they were teenagers. The reports came out after Walliams lost a legal bid to stop the claims being made public. He denies all of the allegations.
Ross has a direct history with both men, having regularly hosted celebrities on his Jonathan Ross Show, among them Walliams and Brand. In the ITV documentary, he is pictured at an event also attended by a woman who later made accusations about Walliams. In his statement, he said he was "as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation", and added: "My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward."
He also addressed a joke he made at a comedy awards show in 2004, whose punchline suggested Walliams would be "going home" with a 15-year-old. Ross called it "tasteless". He said the joke was submitted by the Comedy Awards script writing team, and that he took the punchline as a reference to Walliams having publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect. Had he suspected it referred to actual events, he said, he would have refused to use it and would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with Walliams.
Ross and Brand were also widely criticised for leaving lewd voicemails for the Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs during a BBC Radio 2 broadcast. Sachs was the grandfather of Georgina Baillie, with whom Brand had a consensual relationship in the mid-2000s. Brand has now been sentenced to 10-and-a-half years for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, and the Metropolitan Police has confirmed that several people have approached them about him since the conviction.
Walliams rose to fame alongside Matt Lucas in the early 2000s with the BBC sketch show Little Britain, later judged ITV's Britain's Got Talent, and launched a best-selling series of children's books. A BBC spokesperson called the allegations "serious", and the corporation has removed Little Britain from iPlayer.
One of the women, Lilly Creightmore, spoke to BBC Newsnight. She said Walliams invited her to move in with him when she was between living situations, at 18. She said she felt instantly pressured to share a bed with him and told him she was not romantically interested. After about a week of refusing his advances, she said, he became "very moody and rude and cold". She said she was angry. Another woman now describes her alleged encounter with Walliams at 15 as a "sexual assault". According to ITV, Walliams says he did not act inappropriately and did not target anyone because she was vulnerable or young.
TV agent Dermot McNamara, who has represented someone allegedly groomed by Walliams, told Newsnight he had informed "authorities and broadcasters" about alleged inappropriate behaviour but no action was taken. In a statement shared by the Guardian, Walliams said he was "not a sexual predator" and had not "broken the law". He conceded that "at times I behaved thoughtlessly" towards people he had casual sexual relationships with, and said he regretted not always taking their feelings properly into account.
The Met has contacted the Guardian and ITV News so that any potential victims know how to report allegations to police. It says it has received no related reports so far, and that any it does receive will be carefully assessed. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the allegations "the latest in a long line of reported abuses of power" and said women must feel safe at work and whistleblowers must be protected. Whether any police report follows is the thing to watch.
Citações Notáveis
I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.— Jonathan Ross, statement
I am not a sexual predator and have not broken the law.— David Walliams, statement shared by the Guardian (paraphrased)
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