What did David Walliams say? | The Sun
DAVID Walliams was part of the judging panel of Britain's Got Talent for a decade.
However in November 2022, fans were left shocked when David Walliams suddenly quit after behind-the-scenes comments he made were made public.
What did David Walliams say?
On September 26, 2023, The Sun exclusively revealed that David Walliams was seeking significant damages after he was dropped from Britain's Got Talent.
He stepped down from his role as judge on the ITV show after a transcript of comments he made about contestants during a break in filming were made public in November 2022.
In the leaked transcripts David Walliams called one OAP a "c***" three times and said of another: "She thinks you want to f*** her, but you don't."
The remarks were picked up on his microphone during auditions at the London Palladium in January 2020.
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His comments were the only instances of derogatory remarks about contestants in the leaked transcripts from three episodes.
There is no suggestion that Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, or Amanda Holden made offensive remarks about contestants.
ITV later said it does not "condone" the language used and had spoken to producers of BGT.
David apologised after the comments were made public, and he then went on to resign from his job.
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It was then revealed in September 2023 that David had launched legal action against the BGT production company, Fremantle, over the damaging leak.
The entertainer and his lawyers argued the comments were part of private conversations that were never intended for broadcast.
He accused them of a data protection breach over the leaked transcript which ended his BGT judging career.
Then on November 27, 2023, it was revealed how the TV comic had sensationally secured a huge payout following his lawsuit.
It is reported he has reached an out of court settlement with makers Fremantle Media which is said to be a seven-figure sum.
David – who was represented by top legal firm Brandsmiths – also won an apology from the producers after they admitted "recording, transcribing and retaining" his every word whilst on the show.
He accused BGT bosses of keeping private information that had no relevance to the show.
David said he had no idea his mic was "kept on and recording" throughout the whole filming day, including breaks, during his time as a judge.
The TV star, who lodged the lawsuit under his real name David Edward Williams, won damages for a breach of his data protection rights.
Fremantle will also destroy all of the recordings and transcripts it holds relating to him.
When did David Walliams leave Britain's Got Talent?
David stepped down from BGT in November 2022, following the leak.
In a statement issued before he quit, he said: "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."
David joined the talent show in 2012, and was a judge on the show for decade.
He first joined BGT alongside pop star Alesha, with the pair replacing Michael McIntyre and David Hasselhoff.
During his ten years as judge, he proved popular, and even scooped three Best Judge gongs at the National Television Awards.
Away from BGT, he is a best-selling author, comedian, and TV and film star.
Who replaced David Walliams on Britain's Got Talent?
In January 2023, it was revealed that Bruno Tonioli would be taking over from David.
The popular dancer made his debut on BGT in May 2023, which went down very well with fans.
Before BGT, Bruno was best known for being a judge on Strictly Come dancing – a role he had from when it started in 2004, until 2021.
Across the pond he is well known for being on the judging panel of Dancing With The Stars.
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