David Walliams, Accused of Sexual Misconduct, Built Career on TV and Children's Books

Two British news organizations, The Guardian and ITV News, published detailed allegations on Tuesday accusing the entertainer David Walliams, 55, of a pattern of sexual misconduct. Walliams has denied the claims. "I am not a sexual predator," he wrote in a letter sent to news outlets.

The reports allege that Walliams exploited his celebrity status to sexually prey on women, including some he had met when they were as young as 15. Walliams had fought a weekslong court battle to keep the claims private before their publication, according to reporting by Leo Sands of The New York Times, on which this account is based.

The accusations land on one of Britain's most recognizable entertainers. Walliams has been a fixture on British television screens for more than 20 years, first as a sketch show comedian in the 2000s and later as a judge on "Britain's Got Talent."

Who is David Walliams?

Walliams rose to fame as a transgressive comedy writer and performer. His breakout came with the BBC sketch show "Little Britain," which first aired in 2003. There he and his comedy partner, Matt Lucas, played a series of eccentric characters who poked fun at almost every minority group imaginable, including mothers on welfare benefits, wheelchair users and gay men.

The show pushed the boundaries of acceptability even by the standards of a provocative era in British comedy television. Walliams and Lucas donned fat suits, caked themselves in makeup and wore blackface.

What does the case mean for his publishing empire?

Beyond television, Walliams built one of the most successful careers in British children's publishing. He has published more than 40 children's titles, and his books have sold tens of millions of copies, making him one of the country's most successful children's authors.

That dual standing — as a family-friendly author and a primetime television personality — gives the allegations unusual reach across both the entertainment industry and the children's book market, sectors that have historically moved quickly to distance themselves from public figures facing misconduct claims.

Walliams fought for weeks in court to suppress the allegations before The Guardian and ITV News published them on Tuesday. His written denial to news outlets is his most direct public statement on the claims to date. No criminal charges have been announced in connection with the allegations.

The accusations now test whether the career Walliams built across comedy, television and children's literature can withstand the scrutiny that follows.