Life & Culture
Life & Culture
Jonathan Ross responds to Walliams allegations and Brand conviction
Jonathan Ross has responded to the allegations against David Walliams and Russell Brand’s criminal convictions, saying he was horrified by the news and addressing a joke he delivered at the 2004 British Comedy Awards.
In a statement to the Press Association, Ross said he had previously been on friendly terms with both men and had been “genuinely unaware of their conduct”. That is Ross’s account of his past knowledge. Walliams denies the allegations against him; they are not findings of guilt.
Jonathan Ross responds to resurfaced joke
The PA report carrying Ross’s statement says the footage resurfaced after the publication of a joint investigation by ITV News and the Guardian.
Ross said the awards’ scriptwriting team had supplied the joke, which referred to Walliams going home with a 15-year-old. He said he had understood it as an exaggerated reference to Walliams having publicly dated younger women, rather than a reference to actual events.
He described the joke as “tasteless” and said it was one he would not make today. Ross said he would have refused to deliver it, and would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with Walliams, had he suspected it referred to real events.
Allegations and convictions are separate
ITV News and the Guardian’s investigation reported allegations of sexual misconduct against Walliams, including allegations concerning teenagers. Walliams denies the allegations, denies grooming young women and says he has not broken the law.
That reporting is separate from the criminal case against Brand. The Metropolitan Police confirmed Brand was sentenced on 9 November to 10 years and six months in prison after being convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
Ross’s statement describes his own account of what he knew. It does not establish that the Walliams allegations have been proved or that Ross had prior knowledge of wrongdoing.
Watch the ITV News report
ITV News’s video report on Ross’s response was published on 11 November. No accompanying YouTube or X embed is included in this report.
What should broadcasters prioritise in safeguarding reviews?
Archive photograph: Jonathan Ross speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, 20 July 2017. Photo: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped to landscape. The adapted photograph is available under the same licence.
.jpg){kind=link}