David Walliams named in sexual misconduct allegations after failed legal bid

Multiple women allege David Walliams used his power and celebrity status to pursue them for sexual purposes when they were young, according to an investigation by the Guardian and ITV News. Walliams denies the allegations.

The investigation took three years, CBC News reported. Among the allegations is a woman's account that she was sexually assaulted at 15, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Walliams sought an injunction against Independent Television News and the Guardian to prevent reporting. The legal bid failed, opening the way for him to be identified.

On November 9, the Court of Appeal said it had received nothing from the unnamed celebrity before the 4.30pm appeal deadline, the Daily Mail reported. That followed the refusal of his application to block publication.

On November 10, Walliams was publicly identified as the man behind the failed injunction bid, according to the Hereford Times. The Hollywood Reporter reported that the allegations included sexual assault and grooming.

The investigation published on November 10 set out multiple women's allegations that Walliams had abused his position as a celebrity, according to the Guardian. His denial accompanied the reporting.

Later coverage that day documented professional consequences. Variety reported that Independent Talent Group had dropped Walliams following allegations of grooming and harassment. The agency said it was deeply disturbed by the allegations.

The producer of Britain's Got Talent also urged anyone who felt they had been subject to wrongdoing to come forward, Deadline Hollywood reported on November 10.

The allegations are now public, and Walliams denies them. The court proceedings described in the coverage concerned his attempt to prevent publication, not a determination that the allegations were true.

Independent Talent Group is no longer representing him in any capacity, according to TMZ. Walliams previously left his role as a Britain's Got Talent judge in 2022, the Express & Star reported.

The producer's invitation for people to come forward leaves open whether further accounts will emerge. Deadline Hollywood reported the appeal, but the supplied coverage does not establish what further action the producer will take.