HarperCollins UK Drops Author David Walliams, Who Refutes Claims Against Him
Image Source: YouTube
Author, presenter and comedian David Walliams has been dropped from HarperCollins due to his behaviour against their junior female staff. According to reports, women at thepublishing house were given instructions to never be alone with the star, and never to visit his house for meetings or to drop off items. News media are widely reporting that after an incident, one victim was pushed out from her post with a five-figure settlement to keep quiet.
A spokesperson for David Wlliams has said that he “never been informed of any allegations raised against him. [by his publisher]. He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.”
David Walliams published over forty books (The Boy in The Dress, Gangsta Granny etc) under HarperCollins UK, becoming one of their bestselling and most well-known children’s authors. However, it was always an open secret that David Walliams was problematic.
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Image Source: Royal Television Society
Below are just some of the confirmed incidents over his long career in television and stand-up.
At a charity event in 2009, David Walliams’ pulled down Radio DJ Mark Ronson’s trousers on stage without his consent. He also used to do this to members of the audience as part of his comedy routine. Walliams had approached an agency to get a date with an eighteen-year-old model (Walliams was 37 at the time), and made sexual comments about Harry Styles live on air when the One Direction singer was even younger. And in November 2022 David Walliams got caught on a hot mic making sexual and derogatory comments about female contestants on Britain’s Got Talent. Panel show, Would I Lie to You had to cut footage out of their Christmas special due to Walliams performing a fascist salute (multiple times), and that was filmed mere months ago.
Details of all the above is widely available on YouTube, Wikipedia, and the internet at large, and has been so for a long period of time. So, why has it taken him so long to be dropped by anyone in film, television or publishing?
It’s probably easier to guess what has finally turned the tide. HarperCollins UK has undergone a leadership change. Charlie Redmayne (who had been CEO since 2008 when Walliams rose to power) resigned suddenly to head up Pottermore. Internal candidate Kate Elton took the helm in October, and by December, David Walliams was given his marching orders. The brief statement from HarperCollins refers to Elton directly, saying that the decision was made “after careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO.” So, it’s very likely it came directly from her desk.
The BBC has now also announced that it has cut ties with the writer and will not plan any further projects. However, screenings of adaptations of his work that were already scheduled will proceed. We’ll have to see if any other organisations follow suit now HarperCollins is on record.
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Source(s): IMDb, Wikipedia, Observer, Telegraph, The Guardian, Harper Collins, Sky News, BBC
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