Television presenter Jonathan Ross has said he is horrified by allegations of sexual misconduct involving comedian David Walliams and the rape conviction of Russell Brand, following renewed attention on his past friendships with both men.
In a statement, Ross said he had previously been on friendly terms with the two entertainers but was unaware of their alleged or criminal conduct during that period.
He also expressed sympathy for the women who had come forward and addressed resurfaced footage of a joke he made about Walliams and 15-year-olds at the 2004 British Comedy Awards.
Ross described the joke as tasteless and said he would not make such a comment today. He explained that the line had been supplied by the awards show‘s scriptwriting team and that he understood it as an exaggerated reference to Walliams having publicly dated younger women.
He added that he would have refused to deliver the joke and reconsidered his personal and professional relationship with Walliams if he had known it referred to actual events.
Walliams Faces Allegations While Denying Wrongdoing
Walliams has been accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and targeting multiple teenagers, according to an investigation by The Guardian and ITV.
The comedian has denied the allegations and has not been charged with any offences.
In a statement to ITV News and The Guardian, Walliams acknowledged that he had sometimes behaved thoughtlessly towards people with whom he had casual sexual relationships.
He said he regretted not always considering their feelings but denied abusing any power imbalance arising from his celebrity status.
Walliams rejected the description of himself as a sexual predator, maintained that he had not broken the law and said he was devastated that some women he had met 10 to 20 years ago had since expressed hurt or anger towards him.
Brand Receives More Than Ten-Year Prison Sentence
Ross’s comments also addressed Russell Brand, who was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison on Monday after being convicted at Southwark Crown Court of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
Brand and Ross had worked together and appeared at high-profile events during the late 2000s and subsequent years.
Brand first appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in May 2006. The following year, they both featured on Channel 4’s Big Fat Quiz of the Year.
Their relationship came under intense public scrutiny in 2008 after the pair left a series of lewd voicemails for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs on their BBC Radio 2 programme.
The incident, widely known as Sachsgate, involved comments about Brand’s relationship with Sachs’s granddaughter, Georgina Baillie, who was 23 at the time.
The controversy resulted in Brand leaving the BBC and moving to the United States, while Ross was suspended from the corporation for 12 weeks. The BBC was also fined £150,000 following a wave of complaints.
The two later worked together again. In 2009, Ross said he wanted to make a major programme with Brand and joked that they would eventually rule the world.
They reunited on television in 2013 when Brand appeared on Ross’s ITV chat show. Ross subsequently described their experience during the Sachsgate controversy as something that brought them closer, despite their embarrassment over what had happened.
Ross and Walliams Shared Television Appearances and Social Events
Ross and Walliams had a longstanding professional and social association, appearing together on several television programmes and attending events.
Walliams was a regular guest on The Jonathan Ross Show and appeared on the presenter’s Christmas special in December 2016.
During that programme, he spoke about his friend Kylie Minogue turning down a date with him.
He returned to the show in 2024, discussing an encounter with Tom Cruise alongside his son and a proposed project with fellow comedian Matt Lucas.
The pair were also photographed together after dining at Scott’s Restaurant in Mayfair in 2024. Walliams had regularly attended Ross’s Halloween parties at his northwest London home during the 2010s.
At the 2017 event, Walliams dressed as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, wearing a black suit and red lapel pins depicting previous rulers. His costume also appeared to involve changing his skin tone, prompting accusations of racism.
Walliams has also been one of the country’s best-selling children’s authors and was awarded an OBE.
Resurfaced Comedy Awards Joke Prompts Ross’s Explanation
The renewed scrutiny of Ross’s relationship with Walliams followed the circulation of footage from the 2004 British Comedy Awards.
During the event, Ross joked that the awards ceremony was 15 years old and, like many people of that age, was drunk, unpredictable and probably going home with David Walliams.
Ross said the joke had been written by the awards programme’s scriptwriting team rather than himself.
In his statement, he acknowledged that the comment was inappropriate and said he understood it at the time as a reference to Walliams’s publicly known dating history.
He said he would not have delivered it if he had suspected it related to actual events.
Ross and Brand’s Earlier Television and Radio Relationship
Ross and Brand also appeared together at several entertainment events and developed a close working relationship.
One notable appearance came during the 2007 Big Fat Quiz of the Year, when Brand and Ross featured alongside Jimmy Carr, Noel Fielding, Rob Brydon, David Mitchell and Lily Allen.
During the programme, Ross made a series of remarks about the positioning of Allen, the only female guest, alongside Brand and Fielding.
The pair’s relationship continued after the 2008 Sachsgate controversy, with Ross later describing their shared experience as a reason they had become close.
They also attended charity and entertainment events together, including a 2013 benefit evening organised by The Hoping Foundation for Palestinian refugee children.
Ross Expresses Support for Women Who Came Forward
In his statement, Ross said he was as horrified by the revelations concerning Walliams and Brand’s crimes as other members of the public.
He said he had not known about their conduct when he maintained friendships with them and expressed support for the women who had spoken publicly.
Ross also addressed the resurfaced footage, recognising that revisiting the 2004 joke was deeply shocking.
He said his understanding of the comment at the time had been different from the interpretation now being placed on it, while acknowledging that it was not a joke he would make today.
Ross’s representatives have been contacted for further comment.
