Allegations of sexual misconduct involving David Walliams have long been described as an “open secret” within sections of the entertainment industry.
Yet despite informal warnings about his alleged behaviour apparently circulating widely, well-known figures continued to socialise with him and appear on his podcast to promote their work as recently as last autumn, when concerns about his conduct began entering the public domain.
Several prominent guests featured on his podcast Making A Scene last year. Sir Elton John also holidayed with Walliams last summer, while the comedian appeared in the BBC’s festive edition of Would I Lie to You?
Natalie Cassidy, Alesha Dixon, Sally Dynevor, Michael Ball, David Schwimmer, Jack Whitehall, Prue Leith, David Baddiel and Rob Brydon were among the famous names to appear on the short-lived podcast, which Walliams hosted with Matt Lucas.
There is no suggestion that any of the stars named, most of whom have children and daughters of their own, were aware of the alleged misconduct.
At the time of publication, none had commented publicly on the allegations.
Although allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams had reportedly been regarded as an “open secret”, well-known figures continued to socialise with him and appear on his podcast to promote their work
Natalie Cassidy, Alesha Dixon, Sally Dynevor, Michael Ball, David Schwimmer, Jack Whitehall, Prue Leith, David Baddiel and Rob Brydon were among the guests on Walliams’s short-lived podcast Making A Scene with Matt Lucas
On Making A Scene, Walliams and Lucas invited guests to imagine their lives as “cinematic masterpieces” while discussing their stories in detail.
They considered who might portray them on screen, what genre their film would belong to and whether it would become a box-office success. In keeping with the pair’s style, the podcast also featured innuendo and dark humour.
The final episode was released in October 2025. The podcast’s social media accounts then fell silent, just weeks before it emerged that publisher HarperCollins had dropped Walliams as an author following misconduct claims.
The podcast’s Instagram account was deleted on Thursday.
Walliams also appeared in the 2025 Christmas special of Would I Lie To You?, alongside team captains Lee Mack and David Mitchell and fellow guests Jools Holland, Swarzy Shire and Helen George. During the programme, he made a Nazi salute twice; the BBC later edited the gestures out.
Walliams has been accused of abusing his position on Little Britain and Britain’s Got Talent (BGT), as well as engaging in “inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities” involving “a large number” of young women and girls. He denies any wrongdoing.
The allegations were reported publicly on Tuesday in a joint investigation by ITN and The Guardian.
Matt Lucas, 52, Walliams’s close friend and former Little Britain co-star, has continued to remain silent on the claims.
He stopped sharing his daily morning messages with social media followers on the same day that the High Court rejected Walliams’s application for an injunction to prevent publication of the allegations against him.
Lucas began posting his morning messages in February 2020, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns that followed.
The Daily Mail contacted Lucas through his publicist for comment but did not receive a response.
The podcast’s final episode aired in October 2025 before its social media accounts went silent, shortly before reports that HarperCollins had dropped Walliams as an author following misconduct claims
Sir Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, who are long-standing friends of Walliams and among his most famous associates, have also not commented on the alleged misconduct.
The couple holidayed with the father-of-one in the South of France last summer. At the time, Walliams posted a video showing himself dancing around Furnish, who remained seated in a restaurant, as he moved to Whitney Houston’s 1987 hit I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Other well-known friends, including Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon, have not issued public statements either.
Holden and Dixon sat alongside Walliams on the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel throughout his 10-year tenure. They were also pictured with an 18-year-old fan at a recording after she was invited by Walliams. Two weeks later, the woman accused him of attempting to kiss her after getting her drunk while he drank water.
BGT executives opened an investigation into Walliams’s behind-the-scenes conduct after learning that he had taken teenage girls into his dressing room. However, they reportedly found “no smoking gun” that would justify dismissing him.
At the time of publication, both Dixon and Holden were still following Walliams’s official Instagram account.
Comedian Kate Smurthwaite has said that Walliams’s name was repeatedly mentioned in a WhatsApp group for female comics as someone to avoid.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, she said: “Walliams is a name that came up over and over and over again. In particular, there was a sense of concern about him working with young people and new acts, people coming onto the circuit who maybe weren’t as wise and experienced as the rest of us.
“It’s a name that’s been there from the get-go.”
Jonathan Ross is the only former friend of Walliams to have issued a statement so far. His comments followed the resurfacing of a 2004 British Comedy Awards video in which Ross told the audience: “The Comedy Awards is 15 years old – 15 years old! And like most 15-year-olds, it’s drunk, it’s unpredictable and it’s probably going home with David Walliams.”
Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, who have been friends with Walliams for many years, have not spoken publicly about the allegations against him
BGT launched an investigation into Walliams’s conduct after learning he had taken teenage girls into his dressing room, but reportedly found “no smoking gun” to justify dismissing him
Ross, 65, said he was “horrified” by the allegations. He added: “There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men [Walliams and Brand], and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.
“My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.”
While some people who know Walliams have not spoken publicly, others appear to have signalled their views more quietly, including Alan Carr.
Carr has not issued a public statement, but he “liked” a social media post by Lucy Beaumont, who identified herself as the whistleblower and said she had been “doing everything she can” to support one of Walliams’s alleged victims.
Carr, 50, also commented with five clapping emojis on a post discussing how a man in his sixties can legally have sex with a 16-year-old. Beaumont wrote: “He can’t legally buy her a drink and he can’t have a nude image of her. But he can sleep with her. And f*** her life up.”
In a statement, Walliams denied all the accusations and said: “I am not a sexual predator.”
He added: “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… I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to twenty years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.”