Jonathan Ross has said he is “horrified” at recent news stories involving the comedians Russell Brand and David Walliams.
On Tuesday night, the talk show host issued a statement addressing Brand’s recent conviction for rape and sexual assault.
The day after Brand’s sentencing, Walliams was named as the celebrity at the centre of numerous sexual misconduct allegations, which he and his legal team had previously tried to prevent being made public by requesting an injunction, which he was denied.
Walliams has denied all of the allegations levelled against him.
In recent weeks, old footage of Ross making light of both Brand and Walliams’ reputations has resurfaced on social media, including one clip of him at the British Comedy Awards that was prominently featured in ITN’s news report on the Walliams allegations.
Ross said in his statement: “I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation. There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men, and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.
“My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.”
Specifically addressing the clip from the British Comedy Awards that has resurfaced, he insisted: “I recognise how deeply shocking it is to revisit footage of a joke delivered by me at the Comedy Awards in 2004, in which I make light of the notion of Walliams going home with a 15-year-old.
“This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards script writing team and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect. It is also a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone, but that is beside the point.”
Ross added: “Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him. I also like to think that I would have acted upon that knowledge.”
Brand has now been sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault last week.
The Metropolitan Police is now investigating more allegations of rape against the former Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor.
In his own statement released on Tuesday, Walliams said: “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, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.”
