David Walliams' explicit comments behind court case: Here's what he said

David Walliams is trending on X because he is suing the production company behind Britain’s Got Talent - 10 months after he was at the centre of a big scandal. The comedian was a judge on the show from 2012 to 2022 until transcripts were leaked that showed he had said some very offensive comments off-camera about contestants.

In November 2022, he admitted making ‘disrespectful comments’ about two contestants on the show and apologised, explaining that he never intended for the remarks to be shared with the public. Now, he is making headlines for filing a High Court case against FremantleMedia. All we know so far is that the case involves the production company’s data protection management.

In the midst of all the drama, let’s take a moment to look back at the comments. Exactly how offensive were they?

David Walliams’ history on Britain’s Got Talent

David Walliams - who has used his legal name David Williams to take the company to court - was earning £1.5million a year on Britain’s Got Talent when the scandal hit. He quit the programme of his own free will, and a source told The Sun at the time:

His team have quietly been having conversations over the past few days where it has been made clear that David is readying himself to step down – and then producers will start to think about who might replace him.

This January, Fremantle announced that Bruno Tonioli - known for his spot on Strictly Come Dancing’s panel - would joinBGT’s 2023 team.

Though Walliams isn’t suing the show’s boss Simon Cowell, sources who are friends with both men have said there is some ‘distance’ between them.

Read more:Simon Cowell confesses that he goes to therapy: ‘I wish I'd done it 20 years ago’

David Walliams’ offensive comments

Walliams was caught speaking about two contestants to colleagues in between filming. He called an elderly contestant a ‘c***’ and said of a female contestant:

[She’s like the] slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f*** them, but you don't

In a statement issued at the time, Walliams said he was sorry for the comments:

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.

According to the BBC, his comments were accepted as ‘private’ but condemned as ‘inappropriate’ by Thames TV, which is part of FremantleMedia.

Walliams is still one of the UK’s most successful TV personalities. He rose to fame while starring in the BBC’s comedy hit Little Britain and won the prize for best judge at the National Television Awards for his BGT role in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

He has even had success as an author, having published several books including Gangsta Granny.

Read more:

⋙ Bruno Tonioli's salary for Britain's Got Talent: How does his pay compare to David Walliams'?

⋙ BGT fans disappointed with Bruno as they plead to bring David Walliams back: ‘It's a Bru-no from me!’

Sources used:

BBC: David Walliams sues company behind Britain's Got Talent

Mail Online: Revealed: David Walliams and Simon Cowell's friendship 'on the rocks' as sources claim there's 'some distance between them' after axed comic sues Britain's Got Talent for 'leaking details of his X-rated rant about contestants'