A broadcaster who once shared rooms and laughter with two men now facing grave accusations has stepped forward to say he knew nothing of what they were doing while close to them. In the way of such reckonings, the old jokes come back to haunt the present, and a line from a 2004 awards stage now reads very differently than it did then. Jonathan Ross, in the wake of a newspaper and broadcaster investigation and a criminal conviction, is trying to draw a line between what was known and what is now coming to light, a distinction that the women at the centre of these stories will judge far more tha
Jonathan Ross says he was 'horrified' by Walliams and Brand allegations and disowns a 2004 joke
Multiple women have made allegations of sexual misconduct, including claims involving teenagers aged 15, and Brand has been convicted of rape and sexual assault.
A tasteless joke I would not dream of making today
Mark
Why did Ross feel he had to speak now?
Mimi
Because an old clip resurfaced. In 2004 he joked on stage that the Comedy Awards was probably going home with David Walliams, and it was a 15-year-old reference. Once the Guardian and ITV News investigation landed, that line read very differently.
Luke
Worth being clear what we actually know there. The joke itself is on tape. What it referred to is Ross's account.
Mark
And his account is?
Mimi
That scriptwriters supplied the line and he took it to mean Walliams had publicly dated younger women. He calls it tasteless and says he wouldn't make it today.
Luke
That explanation is his own, and so is the claim he was unaware. Nothing in the reporting confirms or contradicts either one.
Mark
He also says he would have acted had he known.
Mimi
Yes, and he phrases it carefully: he likes to think he would have. It's a statement of intent, not a record of action.
Luke
Fair, and it's a hypothetical. Nobody can test it.
Mark
How do the two men differ in the story?
Mimi
Brand has been convicted of one count of rape and three of sexual assault, and is in prison. Walliams denies wrongdoing, says he has not broken the law, and admits only to behaving thoughtlessly in past casual relationships.
Luke
So the Walliams claims are allegations from an investigation, not findings. Ross's statement groups them together in tone, but the legal positions are very different.
Le Pouls
- Jonathan Ross has issued a statement saying he was 'genuinely unaware' of alleged conduct by David Walliams and Russell Brand during their friendship.
- A resurfaced 2004 Comedy Awards joke about Walliams and a 15-year-old has ignited fierce scrutiny of Ross's past humour.
- Ross blames the scriptwriting team for the line and calls it tasteless, while insisting he would have cut ties had he known anything.
- Walliams flatly denies wrongdoing, calling himself 'not a sexual predator', while the Guardian and ITV News claims remain unproven.
- Brand, already imprisoned after rape and sexual assault convictions, stands as a stark contrast to the still-disputed allegations against Walliams.
A broadcaster who once shared rooms and laughter with two men now facing grave accusations has stepped forward to say he knew nothing of what they were doing while close to them. In the way of such reckonings, the old jokes come back to haunt the present, and a line from a 2004 awards stage now reads very differently than it did then. Jonathan Ross, in the wake of a newspaper and broadcaster investigation and a criminal conviction, is trying to draw a line between what was known and what is now coming to light, a distinction that the women at the centre of these stories will judge far more than any statement can.
Jonathan Ross has released a statement distancing himself from two men he once counted as friends. The 65-year-old presenter says he is horrified by the allegations against David Walliams and by the crimes of Russell Brand, and insists that while he was on friendly terms with both, he was genuinely unaware of their conduct. He does not pretend he never knew them. He acknowledges that friendship plainly and says the things now alleged were hidden from him.
The statement also addresses old footage from the 2004 Comedy Awards, which has resurfaced. In a joke Ross made on stage, the ceremony was likened to a drunk 15-year-old who would probably go home with David Walliams. Ross now admits how shocking that clip is to watch. He says the line came from the awards' scriptwriters and, to his understanding, referred to Walliams publicly dating younger women. He calls it a tasteless joke he would never make today, though he says the real question is knowledge, and that had he suspected anything real, he would have refused to use it and walked away.
The statement follows a joint Guardian and ITV News investigation in which several women made allegations against Walliams, including claims involving teenagers aged 15. Walliams denies wrongdoing. He admits he was sometimes thoughtless in past casual relationships but says, "I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law," and expresses distress that women he met a decade or two ago now feel hurt. Brand, by contrast, is in prison after convictions for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. What remains open is whether the scrutiny now reaching Ross's old joke will extend to others who worked alongside either man.
Jonathan Ross has put out a statement distancing himself from two men he once counted as friends. The presenter, 65, says he is "horrified" by the allegations against David Walliams and by the crimes of Russell Brand, and that during the period he was on friendly terms with them he was "genuinely unaware" of their conduct.
His words were direct. He said he was as horrified as the rest of the nation, and that his thoughts were with the many women who have come forward. He did not claim never to have known the men. He acknowledged a time in his life when he was friendly with both, and said that during that period he knew nothing of what is now alleged.
The statement also dealt with a piece of old footage that has resurfaced from the 2004 Comedy Awards. On stage, Ross had joked that the awards ceremony was 15 years old, and that like most 15-year-olds it was drunk, unpredictable and probably going home with David Walliams. Ross now says he recognises how deeply shocking it is to watch that clip again, a joke in which he made light of Walliams going home with a 15-year-old.
He offered an explanation of where the line came from. By his account it was supplied by the awards' scriptwriting team, and he took it to be a reference to Walliams having publicly dated younger women. He called it a tasteless joke he would not dream of making about anyone today, though he added that this was beside the point.
The point, as he framed it, was knowledge. Had he had any reason to suspect the line 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 closed by saying he likes to think he would have acted on such knowledge.
The statement follows a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News, which published allegations from several women about Walliams. The investigation reported claims that he used his celebrity status to pursue sexual relationships with teenagers and young women, including some aged 15.
Walliams denies wrongdoing. In a letter to the journalists, he said he had at times behaved "thoughtlessly" in past casual relationships and regretted not always considering people's feelings. But he rejected the suggestion that he abused his position: "I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law," he wrote, adding that he was devastated that some women he met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger toward him.
Brand's position is different in kind. He is in prison after being convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The claims against Walliams, by contrast, are allegations from a published investigation, and he disputes them. What remains to be seen is whether the scrutiny that has now reached Ross's 2004 joke extends to others who worked alongside either man.
Citations marquantes
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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