David Walliams ‘is dropped by his writer’ over allegations of inappropriate behaviour in the direction of girls
David Walliams has reportedly been dropped by his publisher Harper Collins over allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ towards women.
Mr Walliams, 54, is said to be accused of ‘harassing’ junior female employees at the firm.
One of the women who raised concerns about his behaviour was given a five-figure payout and has since left the firm, The Telegraph reports.
Mr Walliams previously came under scrutiny following allegations of sexist remarks he is said to have made while a judge on ITV‘s Britain’s Got Talent.
But it was revealed today that he was also at the heart of an investigation at Harper Collins last year.
A junior colleague is said to have complained about his conduct, leading to other staff members being interviewed.
The children’s author has published more than 40 works which have been translated into 55 languages and sold more than 60 million copies.
Walliams, 54, is said to be accused of ‘harassing’ junior female employees at the firm
The children’s author has published more than 40 works which have been translated into 55 languages and sold more than 60 million copies
A spokesman for Harper Collins told the Telegraph: ‘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.
‘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.’
Mr Walliams was once TV royalty, having had a decades long career on screen and stage.
But things changed for the comedian after he was forced out of Britain’s Got Talent when vile sexual comments he made about female contestants emerged.
In 2022, a leaked transcript revealed that he called one auditioning contestant a ‘c**’ and said of another: ‘she thinks you want to f*** her, but you don’t’.
Representatives for Mr Walliams have been contacted for comment.
This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
