It’s been a turbulent twelve months for David Walliams. In November last year, the former Britain’s Got Talent judge came under fire for making offensive comments about two contestants during a taping for a BGT audition show at London’s Palladium in January 2020.
Davidapologised for the comments and subsequently quit his role on Britain’s Got Talent. He has since been replaced on the show by Bruno Tonioli. But things escalated in September when it was revealed that the comedian was suing FremantleMedia, the producers of Britain’s Got Talent, over a ‘data protection breach.’
According to the legal documents, Walliams is claiming damages for loss of earnings, distress, psychiatric harm, and for loss of control of his personal information. It’s also been revealed that he experienced ‘severe depression and suicidal thoughts’ after his comments got leaked.
Hers’s everything we know about the case so far…
What has David Walliams said about Britains's Got Talent?
In September, it was revealed that David Walliams filed a High Court case against the production company behind Britain’s Got Talent, after he exited the show in January.
Walliams is accusing the show’s producers, FremantleMedia, of an unlawful data protection breach and seeking for his data to be erased and damages for distress, loss of earnings and ‘psychiatric harm and loss of control of his private information.’
According to the documents, Walliams said he and the other judges would talk and joke amongst themselves in between being filmed and recorded for inclusion in the live show. He says they would not typically take off their microphones until filming had concluded for the day.
He assumed he was only being recorded when contestants were on stage or during behind-the-scenes filming. Walliams alleges private conversations, including him talking about his battles with food addiction, his father’s death and his wife leaving him, could have been recorded by the production company.
The latest update on the case is that Fremantle was ‘fully aware of the allegations’ when it offered Walliams a new £1m contract for the 2023 season. His lawyer said in court documents seen by The Guardian that the company only withdrew the offer when the transcript of his comments was published.
In a statement, Fremantle told the publication ’We had a long and productive relationship with David and so are surprised and saddened by this legal action. For our part, we remain available and open to dialogue to resolve this matter amicably. However, in the interim, we will examine the various allegations and are prepared to robustly defend ourselves if necessary.’
What has David Walliams said about his mental health?
The court documents include details of how the leak impacted Walliams’ mental health. According to his psychiatrist Dr Mark Collins, the situation has had a ‘profound’ effect on Walliams’ mental health, and he has been prescribed higher doses of medication that he was already using for depression, anxiety, and poor sleep. The papers claim Walliams had been ‘plagued by uncontrollable negative thoughts’, adding that he consequently experiences ‘constant concern that any unguarded comments could be used against him, he has lost the ability to be spontaneous or edgy – in short, to be funny.’
What happened with David Walliams and Britain’s Got Talent?
In 2022, a Guardian expose found that Walliams had been accused of making derogatory and sexually explicit remarks about contestants on Britain’s Got Talent. Walliams, who was a judge on the show since 2012, was recorded referring to one contestant as a ‘cunt’ and saying of another ‘She thinks you want to fuck her, but you don’t.’
The shocking comments were made during a recorded audition show at the London Palladium in January 2020. Lawyers for Walliams and Thames TV, the production company behind Britain’s Got Talent, argued the remarks were part of a private conversation never intended for broadcast.
In a statement, Walliams said ‘I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain’s Got Talent in 2020. These were private conversations and – like most conversations with friends – were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.’
A Thames spokesperson said that even though the production company regarded Walliams’ comments as private, his language was ‘inappropriate’ and he had been reminded of the show’s ‘expectations as to future professional conduct.’
Are Simon Cowell and David Walliams still friends?
David Walliams and Simon Cowell once shared a close relationship, after appearing together as judges on Britain’s Got Talent. But sources have claimed that their relationship is on the rocks as Walliams sues his former bosses at Britain’s Got Talent. Although Walliams isn't suing Cowell, sources claim there is 'some distance' between them as the court case plays out.
In an interview published earlier this year, Cowell addressed the controversy surrounding Walliams’ departure from BGT. 'From what I understand, he decided to take a step back,' he told The Sun. 'It all happened relatively quickly. I was on holiday and then the next thing is I’m having conversations about who’s going to take his place. We did say to the two producers, ‘You have to make the final decision,’ because, yeah, I am an exec producer, but they’re more hands on.'
He continued ‘Obviously everyone had some input – the network, the producers, [production company] Fremantle, all of us said at the time, these comments are completely unacceptable,’ adding ‘I had not heard them before and, yeah, it was upsetting. But from where I’m sitting, this wasn’t something I believe was constant.'
Where is David Walliams now?
David Walliams has been replaced as a judge on BGT by former Strictly Come Dancing panellist Bruno Tonioli. He was seen for the first time in September after news broke that he was suing BGT, when he was spotted going for coffee with Scott Mitchell in North London.
Walliams has one child, Alfred, with his former wife Lara Stone. He tends to keep his family and personal life out of the public eye, telling Hello 'I knew what I was getting into, this is what I signed up to. Making a television programme, being in the spotlight is unavoidable and if you’re a kid, it must be quite hard.’ He continued 'You don’t know what they going to want to do with their lives. They might choose to do something completely private, in which case, there doesn’t seem to be any advantage to being in the spotlight.’