At the height of their fame, Russell Brand and David Walliams were two of the British comedy and entertainment scene’s biggest stars, rubbing shoulders and laughing along with plenty of other big names.But long before both men faced serious accusations, a number of high-profile names also spoke out about each of them.Russell Brand was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison this week, while David Walliams was identified as the star at the centre of a sexual misconduct investigation. GettyThis week, Walliams was identified as the high-profile man at the centre of an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct in the UK. He has denied the allegations, and he is not formally under police investigation.Separately, Brand was sentenced to prison for 10 years and six months for rape and sexual assaults on Monday (UK time).From Dannii Minogue to Sir Rod Stewart, to the comedian who has identified herself as a “whistleblower” for the allegations against Walliams, here are those who spoke out.Dannii MinogueTwenty years ago, Dannii Minogue labelled Brand a “vile predator” and said he “wouldn’t take no for an answer”.Minogue spoke to The Mirror after appearing on his short-lived MTV talk show, 1 Leicester Square.Minogue labelled Brand a “vile predator” in 2006. Dave Benett/Getty Images“He is completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator. I certainly don’t think he has cured his sex addiction, that’s for sure,” Minogue said at the time.She recalled that he commented on her “fabulous breasts” and followed her down a corridor while pestering her for her phone number.“He wouldn’t take no for an answer. He always goes that step too far. Never quite far enough to slap his face, but usually too far,” she said.Bob GeldofBrand and Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof had a tense moment during the 2006 NME Awards, after Brand introduced him as “Sir Bobby Gandalf”.It came after Brand had been briefly linked to Geldof’s then-17-year-old daughter, Peaches.Geldof remarked to the crowd, “Russell Brand, what a c—.”Geldof didn’t mince words as he reached the podium. NME Awards 2026Brand watched on as the crowd clapped. NME Awards 2026This drew cheers from the crowd, as Brand looked embarrassed by the sledge.When he took back the microphone, he congratulated Geldof on his award win before hitting back.“Bob Geldof there, obviously an amazing man to whom we have a lot to be grateful, not in calling me a c— of course,” Brand said.“Really it’s no surprise that he’s such an expert on famine, he has after all been dining out on I Don’t Like Mondays for 30 years.”Rod StewartSir Rod Stewart publicly called out Brand in 2006 after he made remarks about Stewart’s daughter, Kimberley Stewart.While presenting an award at the 2006 GQ Men of the Year Awards, Brand insinuated onstage that he had slept with Kimberley.“Here’s to Rod Stewart who had a go at me earlier this year for too much womanising. But then again I did have a go on his daughter,” he said onstage.Later, when Stewart also took to the stage, he called Brand out for lying.Sir Rod Stewart confronted Brand for lying during an awards show. Instagram/@sirrodstewart“You went with my daughter, did you? Russell, stand up,” he said.Brand reportedly changed his tune, claiming he had simply taken Kimberley out for one evening and “I never touched that girl”.“F—ing right you didn’t,” Stewart replied. “You mustn’t come up here and boast. I speak here as a father.”Later, in an interview with Michael Parkinson, Stewart recalled catching Brand out.”He was humbled, absolutely humbled. I said, ‘You don’t do that.’ Even in my heyday I wouldn’t have done that.”Piers MorganPiers Morgan, who was a judge on Britain’s Got Talent before Walliams joined the talent competition in 2012, described him as a “fraud” four years ago after a show scandal.Morgan shared his dislike of Walliams publicly multiple times. Mario Anzuoni/ReutersWalliams left BGT after he was heard making disparaging remarks about contestants in leaked audio.“Tip of the iceberg… Walliams is one of the nastiest frauds in TV,” Morgan posted on X in 2022. “Love the judging panel on @BGT – apart from David Walliams. All he does is drip & drool unctuously sycophantic drivel,” Morgan shared.He had previously refused to return to the series as long as Walliams remained.“I couldn’t work with Walliams. I think he is a duplicitous, treacherous, piece of work,” Morgan said in 2020.Katherine RyanComedian Katherine Ryan repeatedly called Brand a “sexual predator” to his face during a TV appearance, but it was cut before going to air.Ryan had called him out when they were both judges on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle in 2018. In 2022, Ryan hinted at it again in an interview with Louis Theroux, saying she knew of a “predator”, and it was an “open secret” about who it was.Russell Brand, Katherine Ryan and Jimmy Carr were judges on the first season of Roast Battle. Comedy Central “I – in front of loads of people, in the format of the show – said to this person’s face that they are a predator,” she revealed, leading many to believe she was again referring to Brand.Following Brand’s guilty verdict, Ryan reflected on her Telling Everybody Everything podcast.“It really made me feel just quite dysregulated again, caught off-guard, emotional, in awe of the survivors who also had nothing to gain,” she said. “They came forward despite Russell Brand having fame, power, money and a legion of fans ready to attack them.”Lucy BeaumontBritish comedian Lucy Beaumont came forward this week as a whistleblower on David Walliams after allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct against him were revealed.Beaumont told UK TV network Sky that she took information to The Guardian after a former television staffer confided in her about Walliams’ alleged behaviour. Comedian Lucy Beaumont reveals she was a whistleblower in David Walliams allegations SkyBeaumont alleged the television staffer had been asked to show young women to Walliams’ dressing room, but was too afraid to raise it out of fear of losing their job. “The reason I’m speaking out about this – I know everyone I know knows this, and I don’t hear anyone talking about it. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll work in telly again; I really don’t. The reason high-profile people are not saying anything is because they’ll lose work, because you’re seen as a trouble-causer,” she said. Daniel SlossScottish comedian Daniel Sloss appeared in 2023 documentary Russell Brand: In Plain Sight, released after allegations against Brand emerged.Sloss said he had long heard rumours about Brand and said female comedians often warned each other about him in group chats.Comedian Daniel Sloss has issued a public apology after failing to call out a fellow comedian over a rape joke. Instagram/@danielsloss“It takes no bravery to say here are rumours that I’ve heard since 19 years old,” Sloss said.He had previously uncovered another friend was a predator, subsequently creating a critically acclaimed solo show about it covering toxic masculinity.“You can’t do a show talking about calling out the behaviour of other men and then be given a very real chat to call out the behaviour of other men and not do it,” he said.Katy BrandEnglish comedian and writer Katy Brand, who is no relation to Russell Brand, last year reposted an old post she had made about Brand’s place in the entertainment industry despite the rumours.“I wrote a TV comedy show in 2019. They wanted to cast Russell Brand. I asked if they had done due diligence on him because there were a lot of allegations at the time,” she said.Katy Brand said she refused to create a show with Russell Brand in 2019, despite network pressure. Getty“The producer made an awkward noise and said, ‘Oh, that’s all rather unpleasant to think about, isn’t it’, and then told me their CEO, a very powerful media figure, was taking Brand out for lunch that week anyway to persuade him to do it.“I said I would quit if he was cast. Brand said no, so they simply abandoned the whole thing anyway.“That’s how it happens. Because they don’t care until they are forced to care.”Sean Lock Late comedian Sean Lock had spoken about his dislike for both Brand and Walliams before his death in 2021.During a 2014 episode of 8 out of 10 Cats, Lock launched into a spectacular rant about Brand.Sean Lock was open about his dislike for Brand and Walliams before his death. Getty“Probably the reason I hate him so much is that I am a dad, and I have this fear that one day my daughters will bring something like that home,” Lock said.“And he will come in and go so, ‘Oh, such pleasure to be in your charming abode’.”Lock also targeted Walliams, who wrote children’s books, in one of his shows – albeit not in relation to the current allegations.“Anything sets me off, anything. Those David Walliams books. Urgh, I hate them. Those kids’ books he’s written. I’ve gone on strike in my house; I refuse to read them to my kids. I said, ‘I’m not reading them,’” Lock said.Support is available by calling 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25).Want more entertainment? We’ve got you.Get the news you need straight to your inbox. Sign up for our nine.com.au newsletter.
Source link
——————————————————–
Click Here For The Original Source.
