Children's author, 'Britain's Got Talent' alum faces serious grooming claims
Children's author, 'Britain's Got Talent' alum faces serious grooming claims
Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAYTue, November 10, 2026 at 5:30 PM UTC
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David Walliams, the bestselling children's book author and former "Britain's Got Talent" judge, has been accused of grooming young women in a new report.
Multiple women have accused the British TV personality of using his status to prey on young women as young as 15, according to a The Guardian investigation with ITV News published Tuesday, Nov. 10. The outlets report that the comedian and author of "The Boy in the Dress" is also accused of abusing his positions at "Britain's Got Talent," where he served as a judge for a decade until 2022, and at HarperCollins, his former publisher from 2008 until 2025, when he was dropped due to prior allegations.
The outlets report Walliams, 55, has denied the allegations. USA TODAY has reached out to Walliams' lawyer for comment.
More than 30 sources with "first-hand accounts" spoke to The Guardian and ITV, per the report, including two women who said they first met Walliams when they were 15, and that the writer groomed them, causing the women, now in their 30s, longterm mental harm.
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The report and ITV News documentary come a week after a British court rejected Walliams' injunction attempt, making way for The Guardian and ITV News to move forward with publishing. The outlets reportedly made Walliams aware of their investigation in May, with Walliams apparently making two suicide attempts since, according to The Guardian's report.
His lawyer argued the release of the report could lead the comedian to try and take his own life again, not out of guilt but due to fear of public shame caused by childhood trauma. A judge denied the injunction, saying the court did not have a responsibility to protect Walliams from self-harm, and that accepting the injunction would risk press freedom and would prevent the alleged victims from "communicating their experiences."
The government detained Walliams under Britain's Mental Health Act. He remains in a psychiatric hospital.
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Walliams released a lengthy statement from the hospital in which he denied the accusations but acknowledged behaving "thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with."
"And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something I never did," he wrote to the outlets. "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."
The outlets said they "reviewed emails, social media messages, contemporaneous notes and newspaper articles" and spoke to over two dozen people "who had experienced or witnessed his alleged harassment of young women in the workplace." Fans and models between 17 and 22 also reported Walliams would initiate conversations with them on social media "out of the blue."
The "Little Britain" cocreator has come under fire in recent years, including reported complaints that he had harassed a HarperCollins female junior staff member and other "inappropriate" behavior.
The publisher also confirmed it was phasing out its existing stock and ceased production of books written by the author. He has also faced criticism of his writing and the use of what some have viewed as harmful stereotypes. His children's books include "Mr Stink" (2012), "Gangsta Granny" (2013), "The Boy in the Dress" (2014), "Billionaire Boy" (2016), "Ratburger" (2017), "Grandpa's Great Escape" and "The Midnight Gang" (2018), and his work has been adapted for TV and theater.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call 988 any time day or night, or chat online. Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Children's author, 'Britain's Got Talent' alum faces serious grooming claims
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