Multiple women accuse Walliams of sexual misconduct

Multiple women have accused British comedian and author David Walliams of sexual misconduct, including when they were teenagers.

The television personality was named as part of an investigation by the Guardian and ITV News, after he tried to get an injunction to prevent the reporting of allegations against him.

One woman described her alleged encounter with Mr Walliams, when she was 15, as a "sexual assault".

Multiple women have accused him of "grooming" them when they were teenagers.

He has said he is "not a sexual predator" and denied abusing his power in relationships with women.

The Metropolitan Police said it has contacted the Guardian and ITV News to "to ensure that any potential victims" are "made aware of how they could report any criminal allegations to police".

Mr Walliams had brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian, ahead of the two organisations reporting allegations against him, including of sexual misconduct and potential criminal activity.

In a statement to both the Guardian and ITV News, he said he realised he had "behaved thoughtlessly".

"Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with… I realise I did not always take people's feelings properly into account. That is something I regret.

"And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did…

"I am not a sexual predator… I have not broken the law… I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to twenty years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me."

Lawyers for the media organisations previously told the High Court in London the allegations involved Mr Walliams' alleged "abuse of power and status" to contact young women and try to engage in "inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities".

Mr Walliams had denied the claims and unsuccessfully sought an injunction to prevent these publications because of the risk he would take his own life, after two previous suicide attempts.

The author was granted anonymity during the proceedings, which was lifted after his injunction bid was dismissed and GNM and ITN published their investigations today.

During a two-day hearing in October, the court was told by the media organisations' lawyers that the allegations were gathered after "a wide-ranging and rigorous investigation" and that there was a "strong" public interest in publishing them.

Gavin Millar KC said that reporters from the media organisations had spoken to more than 100 people, including more than 30 sources with first-hand accounts as well as Mr Walliams' friends and colleagues.

Mr Walliams' lawyers said that he had initially attempted suicide after receiving letters from ITN and GNM asking for his reply to the allegations, because of "long-term trauma and the fear of trial by media".

Sara Mansoori KC, for Mr Walliams, said in written submissions that the author "has no intention of returning to public life" and that the author had not "spuriously raised 'mental health' concerns in the face of an impending publication that they do not wish to occur".

Mr Justice Matthew Nicklin refused the bid for an injunction, ruling it would be an "exceptionally serious interference" with freedom of expression.

In the 52-page judgment he also said that granting the injunction would not treat the man's psychiatric condition or eliminate his elevated risk.

He continued that hospitals and health staff caring for Mr Walliams, who was detained under the Mental Health Act in October, meant that the state had "assumed responsibility" for his immediate safety and "can provide significant protection", which "materially reduces the likelihood of suicide".

UK Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones said the UK government is "concerned" about the use of injunctions and is "looking at what more we can do" after Mr Walliams tried to use the courts to prevent the reporting of allegations against him.

In the House of Commons, shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy asked what the government was doing to prevent the abuse of process, as he raised the case of Mr Walliams who "remained anonymous" during his bid for an injunction.

Ms Davies-Jones replied: "I want to reassure him that this Government is determined to do all we can to ensure that anyone who is a perpetrator of these kinds (of potential offences) is held to the full force of the law.

"That includes looking at what we can do regarding injunctions.

"He will know that applications for privacy injunctions are considered independently (by) the courts, and it would not be appropriate for the government to comment.

"However, we are concerned about the use of these, and the minister for courts is looking at what more we can do with Slapps (strategic lawsuits against public participation) injunctions.

"He will know we have already taken action on NDAs for sexual abuse cases, and what more we can do to prevent abuse of process throughout the judicial system."

Here, Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton said she is "very concerned" by the reports.

She told RTÉ's Drivetime that she understands why people are asking questions about whether books by Mr Walliams should be removed from school libraries.

"Obviously they're very serious allegations so I think it's important that all of those matters are dealt with and handled properly and fairly and that there's due process there.

"In terms of schools and the decisions about what books are in their libraries or that are generally made available at school level, I'd have complete confidence in our principals and our school communities to make the decisions that they feel are appropriate for their students.

"It's always important that our young people have access to safe and positive and diverse reading material," she said.

The Minister added that she does not give and does not have the ability to give direction, but has absolute confidence in schools to make the appropriate decisions.

BBC removes shows from platforms

The former Britain's Got Talent judge, known for appearing in comedy shows including Come Fly With Me and Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas, has sold more than 60 million copies of his children's books globally.

They include The Boy In The Dress, Fing, and Gangsta Granny, the latter of which was turned into a one-hour BBC special in 2013, followed by a sequel starring Sheridan Smith in 2022.

Mr Walliams' book publisher HarperCollins dropped him in December 2025, after an investigation into allegations he had "harassed" young women, which Mr Walliams strongly denied.

Mr Walliams has now been dropped by his literary agency and the BBC is "in the process of removing" programmes including Little Britain, after he was accused of sexual misconduct and grooming.

A spokesperson for Independent Talent Group (ITG), Mr Walliams' long-time literary agency, said: "ITG is deeply disturbed by the allegations concerning David Walliams.

"Our thoughts are with anyone who has been affected. We are no longer representing him in any capacity."

It is understood the company suspended Mr Walliams ahead of publication by the news organisations and terminated its relationship with him after the investigations were made public.

The BBC said it is carrying out a review of "all material" featuring and written by Mr Walliams on its platforms.

A BBC spokesperson said: "These are serious allegations. As such, the BBC is looking carefully at all material featuring and written by David Walliams on our platforms. We are in the process of removing some programmes, including Little Britain, whilst this review is under way."

Both Come Fly With Me and Little Britain are currently unavailable on iPlayer, as is a 2020 episode of Who Do You Think You Are? featuring Mr Walliams.

Adaptations of his books are also unavailable are on the service.

Earlier this month, British theme park Alton Towers permanently closed its World Of David Walliams attraction, which featured rides inspired by the books.

Mr Walliams left Britain's Got Talent in 2022 after he apologised for making "disrespectful comments" about auditioning contestants during filming breaks in January 2020 at the London Palladium.

In 2023, Britain's Got Talent producer Fremantle apologised and reached an "amicable resolution" with Mr Walliams after the remarks he made while on the show were leaked.

Schools must make decision on Walliams' books, says Naughton

Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton said she is very concerned by reports of allegations against Mr Walliams.

Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Minister Naughton said: "Obviously they're very serious allegations, so I think it's important that all of those matters are dealt with and handled properly and fairly and that there's due process there."

"In terms of schools and the decisions about what books are in their libraries or that are generally made available at school level, I'd have complete confidence in our principals and our school communities to make the decisions that they feel are appropriate for their students.

"And it's always important that our young people have access to safe and positive and diverse reading material," she said.

She said she understands why people are asking questions about whether the books should be removed from school libraries.

But she added that she does not have the ability to give direction on that but has "absolute confidence" in schools making the appropriate decision.

If you've been affected by any issues raised in this article, please go to rte.ie/helplines