David Walliams dropped by book publisher HarperCollins
Comedian and author David Walliams has been dropped by his book publisher, Harper Collins.
Walliams, who made himself a household name in the 2000s with his sitcom Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas, published his first children’s book in 2008 and went on to sell more than 60 million copies.
Many of his best-selling books have been turned into television films for the BBC, including Gangsta Granny, Mr Stink, The Boy in the Dress, Billionaire Boy, and Grandpa’s Great Escape.
A new investigation from The Telegraph claims that Walliams had been accused of allegedly harassing junior female employees at the publishing house, which led to an investigation into his behaviour and him being dropped by HarperCollins.
The newspaper alleges that one woman who raised concerns with HarperCollins about Walliams’ alleged behaviour was given a five-figure payoff before leaving the company.
After a complaint was allegedly raised against Walliams, HarperCollins are reported to have begun an investigation into his behaviour, which concluded in 2024, according to The Telegraph. They are said to have interviewed staff members as part of the probe.
In October, HarperCollins made a change at the top of the company with chief executive Charlie Redmayne departing the publishing house. Kate Elton has since succeeded Redmayne on an interim basis.
In a statement to The Telegraph, a spokesperson for HarperCollins confirmed their decision to drop Walliams but didn’t reveal whether it was due to an investigation into his alleged behaviour.
They said, “After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision.”
The spokesperson continued, “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.”
Walliams‘ spokesperson has denied the claims, stating, “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.”
The statement continued, “David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.”
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