A well-known television presenter has found himself pulled back into the orbit of two men whose conduct has now come under public judgment: David Walliams, accused by several women in a joint Guardian and ITV investigation that Walliams denies, and Russell Brand, jailed this week for ten and a half years. Jonathan Ross, long a friend to both, has responded with horror and a claim of genuine ignorance, while old footage of a crude joke he made in 2004 has resurfaced. It is the familiar story of how proximity, laughter and industry loyalty can blur into complicity in the eyes of others, and how
Jonathan Ross 'horrified' by Walliams allegations and Russell Brand crimes, says he was unaware of their conduct
Multiple women have made sexual misconduct allegations; Brand was convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.
"I also like to think that I would have acted upon that knowledge."
Mark
Why does a statement from Jonathan Ross matter in this story? He isn't the one accused.
Mimi
Because of the footage and the photograph. A 2004 joke about Walliams and 15-year-olds has resurfaced, and Ross appears in a photo in the ITV documentary, next to Walliams at an event one of the accusers also attended.
Mark
So he's being asked what he knew.
Mimi
Yes, and his answer is that he knew nothing. He says he was on friendly terms with both Walliams and Brand and was genuinely unaware of their conduct.
Luke
That's his account, and it should be read as one. The reporting gives us his statement, not any independent evidence about what he did or didn't know.
Mark
What about the joke itself?
Mimi
He says the Comedy Awards script team submitted it, and that he took it as a gag about Walliams publicly dating younger women. He also calls it tasteless and says he wouldn't tell it today.
Luke
Again, the claim about the writers and his reading of the punchline come from Ross. The piece doesn't include a response from the awards' writers, so that stays unverified.
Mark
And the Brand side?
Mimi
Brand was jailed on Monday for ten and a half years for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. Ross appeared with him on television and on Radio 2 in 2008, during Sachsgate.
Luke
Worth keeping the two men apart. Brand has been convicted. Walliams has not; the allegations come from a Guardian and ITV investigation and he denies all of them.
Mark
What's still open?
Luke
How the public and the BBC or ITV respond to Ross, and what Walliams says in response to the investigation beyond his denial. None of that is in the reporting yet.
El Pulso
- A 2004 Comedy Awards joke about Walliams and 15-year-olds has resurfaced, and public attention is turning sharply toward Ross.
- Walliams faces grooming and sexual misconduct allegations from multiple women, which he firmly denies, after failing to block publication.
- Ross appears in a photograph within the ITV documentary, placing him physically close to the events under investigation.
- Brand's ten-and-a-half-year sentence for rape and sexual assault revives old links to Ross, including the 2008 Sachsgate scandal.
- Ross is responding with a public statement of horror and claimed ignorance, and insists he would have cut ties had he known, but scrutiny continues.
A well-known television presenter has found himself pulled back into the orbit of two men whose conduct has now come under public judgment: David Walliams, accused by several women in a joint Guardian and ITV investigation that Walliams denies, and Russell Brand, jailed this week for ten and a half years. Jonathan Ross, long a friend to both, has responded with horror and a claim of genuine ignorance, while old footage of a crude joke he made in 2004 has resurfaced. It is the familiar story of how proximity, laughter and industry loyalty can blur into complicity in the eyes of others, and how a public figure must now answer not only for what he knew but for what he once made light of.
Jonathan Ross has said he was "horrified" by the allegations against David Walliams and by the crimes of Russell Brand, and that he was "genuinely unaware of their conduct" during the years he was on friendly terms with both men. The 65-year-old presenter spoke to the Press Association after footage of him joking about Walliams and 15-year-olds at the British Comedy Awards in 2004 came back into view.
The statement follows a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News, which named Walliams, 55, as its subject after his attempt to halt publication failed. The best-selling author and former Britain's Got Talent judge is accused of sexual misconduct, including grooming teenage girls as young as 15 and using his position to pursue women. He denies all of it. Ross appears in a photograph used in the accompanying ITV documentary, standing beside Walliams at an event also attended by one of the women who later spoke out.
Ross's ties to Brand add a second layer of scrutiny. Brand was jailed on Monday for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. The two appeared together on several shows, and Ross featured on Brand's 2008 BBC Radio 2 programme during the Sachsgate affair, when they left an explicit voicemail for the actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter.
On the 2004 joke, Ross said it was written by the awards' script team and that he believed it played on Walliams having publicly dated younger women. He called it tasteless and said he would never make it today, but stressed that the question was larger than the joke. Had he suspected it referred to real events, he said, he would have refused to deliver it and would not have stayed close to Walliams. He closed by saying his thoughts were with the many women who have come forward.
Jonathan Ross has said he was "horrified" by the allegations against David Walliams and by the crimes of Russell Brand, and that he was "genuinely unaware of their conduct" while he was on friendly terms with both men. The 65-year-old presenter gave his statement to the Press Association after old footage of him joking about Walliams and 15-year-olds at the British Comedy Awards in 2004 resurfaced.
The statement followed the publication of a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News. Walliams, 55, was named today as its subject, after he tried and failed to obtain an injunction to stop the allegations being published. The best-selling author and former Britain's Got Talent judge stands accused of sexual misconduct, including grooming teenage girls as young as 15 and abusing his position to pursue women. Walliams denies all of the allegations.
Ross is connected to the story in a direct way. He appears in a photograph used in the investigation's accompanying ITV documentary, David Walliams: Power and Silence. The picture shows him beside Walliams at an event that was also attended by one of the women who later made allegations about Walliams' conduct.
The scrutiny comes on top of questions Ross has faced over his history with Brand. Brand was jailed on Monday for ten and a half years for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. Ross appeared alongside him on several television shows, and he featured on Brand's BBC Radio 2 show in 2008, when the pair were caught up in the scandal known as "Sachsgate". In that episode they left a voicemail for Andrew Sachs, the actor, in which they made explicit comments about a relationship his granddaughter, Georgina Baillie, had with Brand.
In his statement, Ross addressed the 2004 joke head-on. He said he recognised how deeply shocking it is to revisit footage of a joke he delivered at the Comedy Awards, 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, and that he believed the punchline referred to the fact that Walliams had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect.
Ross called it a tasteless joke he would not dream of making today about anyone, though he added that this was beside the point. He said that had he had any reason to suspect it might refer to actual events, he would have refused to use it, and would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with Walliams. "I also like to think that I would have acted upon that knowledge," he said.
He ended with a line directed at the accusers: his thoughts, he said, are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward. He described a period in his life when he was on friendly terms with both men, and said he shared the horror of the rest of the nation.
What comes next is continued attention on Ross himself: the 2004 footage is now in circulation, and his links to both Walliams and Brand are under examination. Walliams, for his part, continues to deny everything put to him in the investigation.
Citas Notables
I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation.— Jonathan Ross, statement to the Press Association
Walliams denies all allegations against him.— Reporting on the Guardian/ITV News investigation
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