David Walliams has issued a response after being dropped by his publisher HarperCollins UK following allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women.
The award-winning children’s author and former Britain’s Got Talent judge, who sold more than 60 million copies globally, is also known for starring in the likes of Come Fly With Me and Little Britain.
On Friday (19 December), HarperCollins announced that they made Walliams, the author of The Boy In The Dress, Fing, and Gangsta Granny, 'aware' of their decision.
“After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision,” a spokesperson said.
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“HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns.
“To respect the privacy of individuals we do not comment on internal matters.”
The decision to drop him was made following an investigation into allegations he 'harassed' junior female employees at HarperCollins, The Telegraph reports.
The outlet claims that one woman reportedly received a five-figure settlement from HarperCollins before leaving the publisher, and The Telegraph says it began a private investigation into the allegations last year.
A spokesperson for Walliams, 54, has since responded in a statement: “David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins.
“He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.”
It comes after Walliams left his role on Britain’s Got Talent in 2022 for making 'disrespectful comments' about contestants during film breaks in 2020.
After referring to an older performer as a 'c**t' during breaks at the London Palladium in January 2020, he also said of a female contestant: "She’s like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f**k them, but you don’t."
In a statement, Walliams apologised and said: "I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain's Got Talent in 2020.
"These were private conversations and - like most conversations with friends - were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry."
Production company Thames TV said: "Although relating to a private conversation almost three years ago, the language used was inappropriate."
An 'amicable resolution' was reached with the producer and former presenter in 2023 following the leaked remarks.
LADbible Group has HarperCollins UK and Walliam's representatives for further comment.
Topics: David Walliams, Celebrity, UK News
Anish Vij