David Walliams has been dropped by his publisher Harper Collins, reportedly over allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ towards women.
Walliams ‘strongly denies’ the allegations, according to a statement via a spokesperson.
The actor, comedian and former Britain’s Got Talent judge, 54, wrote his first book in 2008 after signing a deal with the publisher and has gone on to become one of the UK’s highest-earning authors.
It was estimated that Walliams had sold £100million worth of books for Harper Collins, as of 2019.
A number of his titles, including Gangsta Granny and Mr Stink, have also been made into films for the BBC, while the books have been included in McDonald’s Happy Meals giveaways.
Yet Walliams is said to have faced accusations of ‘harassing’ junior female employees at the publishing outfit, which were investigated by the company.
It is understood that Walliams did not know about the Harper Collins investigation, but has since been dropped by the publisher.
A Harper Collins employee who reportedly raised concerns about his behaviour was given a five-figure payout and subsequently left the company, The Telegraph has reported in a new investigation.
A spokesman for Harper Collins told the Metro: ‘After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams.’
A statement to The Telegraph additionally noted: ‘The author is aware of this decision. HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns.
‘To respect the privacy of individuals we do not comment on internal matters.’
A spokesperson for Walliams told PA: ‘David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by Harper Collins.
‘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.”
This comes after Walliams’ high-profile exit from ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, following allegations he had made sexist comments about a contestant.
A leaked transcript in 2022, which was picked up on a hot mic, revealed Walliams called one auditioning contestant a ‘c**’ and said of another: ‘She thinks you want to f*** her, but you don’t’.
His best-selling children’s books have previously been accused of ‘racism and fat-shaming’, shortly after Walliams and his former Little Britain comedy partner Matt Lucas issued a statement apologising for using blackface in past sketches.
He wrote in a tweet in 2020: ‘Matt & I have both spoken publicly in recent years of our regret that we played characters of other races.
‘Once again we want to make it clear that it was wrong & we are very sorry.’
Metro contacted David Walliams’ representatives and Harper Collins for comment.
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