TV presenter Jonathan Ross has said he is “horrified” by allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams and the rape conviction of Russell Brand.
In a statement, Ross said he was once “on friendly terms with both men”, but that at the time he was “genuinely unaware of their conduct”.
ITV News and the Guardian on Tuesday published reports alleging that Walliams has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women. Walliams denies all the allegations against him. Brand was sentenced to 10 years in jail for rape on Monday.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said that the allegations against Walliams were the “latest in a long line of reported abuses of power” in the media.
Some of the women accuse Walliams of “grooming” them when they were teenagers, or allege other inappropriate behaviour.
In a letter to journalists published by the Guardian, Walliams said he was “not a sexual predator” and had not “broken the law”.
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In his statement, Ross also addressed a joke he made at a comedy awards show in 2004, in which the punchline suggested Walliams would be “going home” with a 15-year-old.
Ross acknowledged the controversial quip and described it as “tasteless”.
He added: “This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards script writing team and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect.
“Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him.”
Ross is one of the country’s best-known TV presenters, having regularly hosted celebrities on his Jonathan Ross Show, including David Walliams and Russell Brand.
He said he was “as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation”.
He added: “My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.”
The allegations include:
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One woman alleges she met Walliams at a fan event when she was 15. She says he groomed her and they had sex when she was 17
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Another woman alleges she met Walliams for a coffee when she was 15, before going back to his house where he allegedly tried to lift up her shirt and commit an act that she now describes as a sexual assault
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A woman who worked as a model in her teens accused Walliams of grooming her. A different woman who also worked as a model said Walliams tried to kiss her while showing her around his home
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The investigation claimed Walliams had a sexual relationship with at least one junior employee at publisher HarperCollins, and pursued another
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Other women allege inappropriate behaviour at ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, such as inviting girls and young women to his dressing room