Jonathan Ross says he is 'horrified' by allegations against Walliams and Brand's conviction

Ross's Statement

Television presenter Jonathan Ross, whose show featured both David Walliams and Russell Brand at different times, issued a statement saying he was 'horrified' by the revelations concerning Walliams and Brand's crimes 'like the rest of the country'. He stated that he once 'was on friendly terms with both of them', but at the time he 'genuinely did not know about their behaviour'. 'My thoughts are with the many women who have bravely come forward', he added.

2004 Joke

Ross also commented on a joke he delivered at the 2004 Comedy Awards ceremony: its punchline implied that Walliams would 'go home' with a 15-year-old. He described it as 'tasteless' and explained that the script was prepared by the Comedy Awards writing team, and he believed the punchline was an exaggerated comedic reference to Walliams' publicly known relationships with younger women. According to Ross, had he had any reason to suspect the joke referred to real events, he would not only have refused to use it but would also have ceased his personal and professional relationship with Walliams.

Context: Allegations and Conviction

Allegations against Walliams were published on Tuesday by ITV News and The Guardian following a joint three-year investigation: several women stated that he 'groomed' them during their teenage years, and one now describes the alleged contact with her at age 15 as 'sexual abuse'. Walliams denies all allegations and, in a statement released via The Guardian, said he is 'not a sexual predator' and 'did not break the law', while admitting that he 'sometimes behaved thoughtlessly' towards people with whom he had casual relationships. The publication became possible after Walliams lost a legal attempt to prevent disclosure of these claims. The Metropolitan Police contacted editorial teams so that potential victims would know how to report criminal acts.

Lucy Beaumont's Testimony and Official Response

Comedian Lucy Beaumont told Sky News that one of the stories submitted to The Guardian concerned her: she said a young television employee recounted that on one programme his task was to escort 'young girls' — 'definitely' over 16 — to Walliams' dressing room, and that he considered them vulnerable. Beaumont stated that, in her view, the employee at the time had no clear way to report what was happening within the broadcasting company, and that there is no reliable system in the television industry for protecting and reporting sexual harassment. She emphasised that she herself never worked with Walliams and never witnessed any inappropriate behaviour from him. Culture Minister Lisa Nandy described the allegations against Walliams as 'the latest in a long line of reports of abuse of power' in an industry where 'the power imbalance is huge', and called for ensuring women's safety at work and protecting whistleblowers.

Brand's Sentence

A separate issue addressed in Ross's statement was Russell Brand's conviction: on Monday he was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that several people contacted them with information about Brand after the sentencing. Previously, Ross and Brand had already been at the centre of a scandal over obscene voicemails left for actor Andrew Sachs — Georgina Bailey's grandfather, who was in a relationship with Brand — broadcast on BBC Radio 2.