Quick summary
- British broadcaster Jonathan Ross said on 11 November 2026 that he is “as horrified” as the rest of the nation by the David Walliams allegations and the crimes of Russell Brand.
- Ross was responding to renewed attention on a 2004 British Comedy Awards joke about Walliams and a 15-year-old.
- He says the line was written by the awards’ scriptwriting team and that he was “genuinely unaware” of any wrongdoing.
- Brand was sentenced on Monday to 10 years and six months in prison for rape and sexual assault. Walliams denies all allegations against him.
Jonathan Ross, Russell Brand and a statement under pressure
Jonathan Ross has publicly distanced himself from two former colleagues. In a statement reported on 11 November by The Guardian and Deadline, the presenter said he was “as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation”.
The statement follows a week in which Ross’s past association with both men was scrutinised. Russell Brand, 51, was jailed on Monday for 10 years and six months after being convicted of rape and sexual assault, according to the BBC. Our earlier report covers the hearing in detail: Russell Brand Jailed for 10 Years, 6 Months for Rape.
The 2004 joke that resurfaced
The Guardian and ITV News published a joint investigation into David Walliams, and it referred to a line Ross delivered at the 2004 British Comedy Awards. “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,” Ross said at the time.
Ross now calls it “a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone”. He said the Comedy Awards scriptwriting team gave him the line, and that he took the punchline as an exaggerated reference to Walliams having publicly dated younger women.
“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,” he said. He added that he likes to think he would have acted on such knowledge.
Deadline notes that the Guardian also published a photo of Ross at a charity quiz with Walliams, who had his arm around an 18-year-old woman who has since made accusations against him. Deadline states there is no suggestion Ross knew of any behaviour Walliams is accused of.
The Brand link and the 2008 prank call
Ross’s history with Brand is a separate and older story. According to Deadline, the pair caused a scandal in 2008 by prank calling the actor Andrew Sachs and making lewd comments about his granddaughter, who had previously been in a relationship with Brand.
Ross’s statement describes Brand’s conduct as “crimes”, a reference to this week’s conviction and sentence rather than to the old broadcast row.
Reaction and the wider industry
The Walliams allegations dominated the news agenda after a court rejected an attempt by Walliams to stop publication, the Guardian reports. Walliams, 55, denies any wrongdoing. In a personal letter he wrote: “I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the claims the “latest in a long line of reported abuses of power” and said she would meet senior figures in media and entertainment to “draw a line in the sand”. Walliams has been dropped by his literary agency, Sky will no longer hold the licence for his film Fing!, and the BBC is removing programmes including Little Britain from iPlayer while it reviews his material.
Separately, the BBC reported a political row over Brand. Bridgend councillor Owain Clatworthy, of Restore Britain, posted that Brand should “stay strong” after the verdict. Bridgend council’s group leaders said they “unequivocally reject” the comments, and another councillor called on Clatworthy to resign. Clatworthy and his party had been approached for comment.
Other outlets have also been revisiting Brand’s past. See our reports on Katy Perry’s 2013 Russell Brand comments and on the full archive of Russell Brand coverage.
What happens next
Nandy’s planned meetings with industry leaders are the clearest next step. The BBC’s review of Walliams material is under way, and Deadline says it has contacted Walliams’s legal representatives for comment. Ross has not said whether he will take any further action.
Frequently asked questions
What did Jonathan Ross say about Russell Brand?
Ross said he is “as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation”, and that he was “genuinely unaware of their conduct”.
Why is Jonathan Ross in the news?
A 2004 British Comedy Awards joke about a 15-year-old going home with David Walliams was cited in the Guardian and ITV News investigation. Ross says the writers supplied it and he saw it as a joke about Walliams dating younger women.
What sentence did Russell Brand receive?
Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for rape and sexual assault, according to the BBC.
Has David Walliams responded?
Yes. Walliams denies all the allegations and says he has not broken the law, according to his statement to ITV News and the Guardian.
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