Multiple women accuse David Walliams, a top British TV star and children's author, of using his fame and power to prey on teenagers and young women for sex, a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News reports.
Walliams has often spoken warmly about Jewish culture, praising its humor and comedians. "I've always loved Jewish humor and Jewish people and the culture," he said, adding: "I've always had a very strong connection with the Jewish community. I'm obsessed with Mel Brooks as well, who I think of as a God of comedy."
Two accusers, now in their 30s, say they met him at 15 and that he groomed them, with effects lasting nearly two decades. Walliams, 55, is also accused of abusing his position to pursue women through "Britain's Got Talent" (BGT) and at HarperCollins, where he had a sexual relationship with a junior employee.
Drawing on 30 sources, the inquiry could be published only after a court rejected Walliams' bid to block it. He denies any wrongdoing. The High Court heard last week that Walliams twice tried to take his own life after the outlets raised the allegations in May. His lawyers called this a fear of public shame rooted in childhood trauma, not guilt.
His barrister, Sara Mansoori KC, said he would try again to kill himself if the allegations were published, and argued a lifelong injunction was needed, though it would silence the women. Sectioned the week before the hearing, Walliams was still in a psychiatric hospital when the judge dismissed the case last Tuesday. On Monday, his lawyers said he would not appeal.
High Court judge Justice Nicklin accepted the suicide risk was real and severe, and saw a "probable effect" on Walliams' teenage son, which he also called "grave."
The investigation "concerns matters of substantial public interest," the judge said, and the court had no duty to shield Walliams from self-harm, as detention under the Mental Health Act meant the state was already acting. "The state is already taking substantial and effective measures to protect the claimant. He is receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment in an environment which significantly reduces the likelihood of suicide."
He added that the evidence "establishes that the hospital can provide significant protection" and "that treatment may modify his mental state."
An injunction, he ruled, would be "an exceptionally serious interference" to press freedom. "It would prohibit the defendants from publishing the results of their investigations into allegations of serious wrongdoing by a prominent individual." He added: "It would also prevent the sources whose accounts form part of those investigations from communicating their experiences to the public."
In a personal letter denying the allegations, Walliams wrote: "Looking back, I realize that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with." "And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something I never did." He added: "I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me."
His lawyers said he also denies workplace allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. Reporters reviewed emails, messages, notes and articles. Sources included fans and models aged 17 to 22 who say Walliams messaged them unprompted, and people who say they experienced or witnessed harassment of young women at work. Many remain affected.
The allegations, spanning "Little Britain" to Saturday nights on BGT, raise questions for a television industry hit by years of scandals.
HarperCollins dropped its bestselling author in December 2025, reportedly after an internal investigation found "inappropriate behavior" toward young female employees. A spokesperson pointed The Guardian to a statement that it would publish no new titles by Walliams and took "employee wellbeing extremely seriously." BGT's producers and ITV said separately they knew of no complaints.
