Television presenter Jonathan Ross says he was unaware of Walliams and Brand conduct

Television presenter Jonathan Ross has stated he is horrified by allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams and the criminal conviction of Russell Brand. NME, The Guardian, and thejournal.ie all reported that Ross said he was genuinely unaware of their conduct, despite having been on friendly terms with both men in the past. The Daily Mail reported that Brand was jailed on Monday for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. [1][2][3][5]

The allegations against Walliams followed a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News, according to thejournal.ie. NME reported that Walliams denied all the accusations made against him, stating that he is not a sexual predator, has not broken the law, and is devastated that women he met 10 to 20 years ago have expressed hurt or anger towards him. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Walliams previously failed to obtain a court injunction to suppress the sexual misconduct allegations. [2][5][15]

The Guardian reported that Ross made a joke about a 15-year-old girl going home with Walliams at the British Comedy Awards in 2004. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Ross subsequently described that 2004 comedy awards joke as tasteless. The Daily Mail reported that comments made by the late comedian Sean Lock during Channel 4 shows have also resurfaced, including remarks calling Brand self-serving during a 2014 episode of 8 Out of 10 Cats and a 2009 comment expressing fear over his daughter bringing home a man like Brand. [1][3][14]

Walliams rose to prominence alongside Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series Little Britain and later served as a judge on Britain's Got Talent. Lock, who died of cancer in 2021, created and starred in the sitcom 15 Storeys High. Following the revelations, irishtimes.com reported that the British culture secretary plans to meet media and entertainment industry figures after the sexual misconduct allegations sparked calls for better safeguarding. [1][6][11][12]