A comedian's old joke has returned to the surface, and with it a reckoning that reaches far beyond one stage or one friendship. Jonathan Ross now stands at the edge of two men's fall, insisting he saw nothing and regrets the laughter he once shared. Meanwhile the quieter, harder question remains with the women who say they were pursued, and with a public that must decide how much fame excuses and how much it should be made to answer for.
Jonathan Ross Says He Was 'Genuinely Unaware' of Brand and Walliams Conduct, Apologises for 2004 Joke
Brand has been convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults, and several women allege Walliams pursued them sexually, some as young as 15.
Ross says the joke came from the writers, and he read the punchline differently
Mark
Why does Ross's statement matter, when he isn't accused of anything himself?
Mimi
Because a clip resurfaced of him joking in 2004 about a 15-year-old going home with Walliams, with Walliams laughing. He's answering for the joke and for his friendship.
Mark
What is his defence of the joke?
Mimi
He says the Comedy Awards writing team gave it to him, and he read the punchline as a nod to Walliams publicly dating younger women, exaggerated for effect. He also calls it tasteless.
Luke
Worth saying that's his account. The writers aren't quoted, so the authorship and his reading of the punchline rest on his word alone.
Mark
And the claim he was unaware of their conduct?
Luke
Same thing. It's a statement of what he knew, and nobody in the reporting contradicts it, but nobody independently confirms it either.
Mimi
The Express also notes the people pictured in the charity photograph, like Gervais, Fallon and Cornish, aren't suggested to have known anything.
Mark
How do the two men's situations differ?
Mimi
Brand is in prison, convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults. Walliams is the subject of a Guardian and ITV News inquiry, and he denies it.
Luke
Right, and the inquiry's claims are allegations. Walliams says he regrets thoughtlessness but never abused his power and hasn't broken the law. The piece doesn't report any charge against him.
Il Polso
- A 2004 clip of Jonathan Ross joking that David Walliams was 'probably going home with' a 15-year-old has resurfaced and is spreading fast.
- Russell Brand sits in prison after a rape conviction, casting a long shadow over every former friend who once laughed beside him.
- A three-year Guardian and ITV investigation has published allegations that Walliams used his fame for sex with teenagers as young as 15.
- Ross says the line came from writers and that he would have walked away had he known the truth, while Walliams insists he is 'not a sexual predator.'
- The story is landing on whether more women will come forward and how Walliams answers the published findings.
A comedian's old joke has returned to the surface, and with it a reckoning that reaches far beyond one stage or one friendship. Jonathan Ross now stands at the edge of two men's fall, insisting he saw nothing and regrets the laughter he once shared. Meanwhile the quieter, harder question remains with the women who say they were pursued, and with a public that must decide how much fame excuses and how much it should be made to answer for.
Jonathan Ross has issued a statement distancing himself from his former friends Russell Brand and David Walliams, after footage of a joke from the 2004 Comedy Awards resurfaced. In it, Ross says he was genuinely unaware of their conduct while they were close. He says he is horrified by what has come out.
The two men now face very different positions. Brand is in prison after a recent conviction for one rape and three sexual assaults. Walliams has not been charged, but he is the subject of a three-year joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News. The inquiry alleges he used his fame for sexual purposes on several occasions, including with teenagers as young as 15. Walliams denies breaking the law. He admits he sometimes behaved thoughtlessly toward people he had casual relationships with, and says he regrets that, but insists he never abused his power.
The clip shows Ross calling the awards 'drunk, unpredictable' and joking that they were 'probably going home with David Walliams,' while Walliams laughs. Ross says the writers supplied the line, meant as an exaggerated jab at Walliams dating younger women. He says that had he suspected real events, he would have refused to use it and would have ended the friendship.
What happens next depends on how Walliams answers the published findings and whether more women choose to speak.
Jonathan Ross has put out a statement distancing himself from two former friends, Russell Brand and David Walliams, as footage of a joke he told at the 2004 Comedy Awards has resurfaced. In it, the presenter says he was "genuinely unaware" of their conduct during the period when he was on friendly terms with them.
The statement, reported by the Mirror and picked up by the Daily Express, came as the two men face very different legal positions. Brand is in prison after being convicted last week of one rape and three sexual assaults. Walliams, 55, has not been charged in connection with the allegations, but is the subject of a joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News, which has now been published online.
That three-year inquiry alleges Walliams used his fame and standing for sexual purposes on multiple occasions, with teenagers as young as 15. It features several women who describe how they say he pursued them, and some have made fresh allegations. Walliams denies wrongdoing.
In his own statement, Walliams said that looking back he realised he had at times behaved thoughtlessly towards people he had casual sexual relationships with, and had not always taken their feelings properly into account. He said he regretted that. He accepted that a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, but said abusing it is something else and something he never did. "I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law," he said, adding that he was devastated that some women he met 10 to 20 years ago had expressed hurt or anger toward him.
Ross, 65, said he was as horrified by the revelations about Walliams and the crimes of Brand as the rest of the nation. He said his thoughts were with the many women who had bravely come forward.
The resurfaced clip is from the 2004 Comedy Awards. Ross is heard saying the awards were 15 years old and that, like most 15-year-olds, they were drunk, unpredictable and "probably going home with David Walliams." Walliams can be seen laughing at the line.
Ross acknowledged how shocking it is to revisit the footage. He said the joke was submitted by the Comedy Awards script-writing team, and that he took the punchline to refer to the fact that Walliams had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect. He called it a tasteless joke he would not make today about anyone. Had he suspected it referred to real events, he said, he would have refused to use it and would not have been comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with Walliams. He added that he likes to think he would have acted on such knowledge.
Ross also appears in a photograph from a high-profile charity event, in which Walliams is seen with his arm around a teenager who now alleges he groomed her. Others pictured include Ricky Gervais, Jane Fallon and Joe Cornish. The report states there is no suggestion any of them knew of alleged misconduct.
What to watch next is how Walliams responds to the inquiry's published findings, and whether further women come forward.
Citazioni salienti
I was genuinely unaware of their conduct. My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.— Jonathan Ross
I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law.— David Walliams
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