String of celebrities who appeared on David Walliams' podcast months before allegations emerged of his predatory behaviour go quiet

Since the allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams emerged, they have been referred to as an 'open secret' in showbusiness circles.

But despite casual warnings about his conduct being spread seemingly far and wide, it can be revealed that as late as last autumn when rumblings of his behaviour trickled into the public forum, household names were still willing to socialise with him and even appear on his podcast series to promote their work.

A number of big names appeared on his podcast last year Making A Scene, while Sir Elton John holidayed with him last summer and he appeared on the festive episode of the BBC's Would I Lie to You?

Natalie Cassidy, Alesha Dixon, Sally Dynevor, Michael Ball, David Schwimmer, Jack Whitehall, Prue Leith, David Baddiel and Rob Brydon are just a handful of famous faces who appeared on his short-lived podcast with Matt Lucas.

There is no suggestion that the stars named, most of whom have children and daughters of their own, knew anything of his alleged misconduct.

At time of publication, they still remained silent on the allegations.

The podcast heard Walliams and Lucas's famous guests turn their lives into 'cinematic masterpieces' whilst discussing them in depth.

They ask who would play them, what type of movie it would be and whether it would be a box office hit. As would be expected with Walliams and Lucas, it was filled with innuendos and dark humour.

The last episode was in October 2025 before the podcast's social channels went dead, weeks before it emerged book publisher HarperCollins dropped him as an author following misconduct claims.

On Thursday, the podcast's Instagram page was deleted.

Walliams appeared on the 2025 Christmas special of Would I Lie To You? alongside team captains Lee Mack and David Mitchell with other guests Jools Holland, Swarzy Shire and Helen George. It is there he made the Nazi salute twice, which the BBC was forced to edit out.

Walliams is accused of 'abusing his status' on Little Britain and Britain's Got Talent (BGT) and engaging in 'inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities' with 'a large number' of young women and girls. He denies any wrongdoing.

The allegations were made public on Tuesday as part of a joint investigation by ITN and The Guardian.

His best friend, Mr Lucas, 52, who shot to fame in BBC sketch show Little Britain alongside now disgraced Walliams is continuing to remain silent.

He stopped posting his daily morning greetings to his social media followers on the same day the High Court refused Walliams' bid for an injunction preventing the publication of the serious allegations against him.

Mr Lucas's morning mantra dates back to February 2020, just before the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

The Daily Mail attempted to contact Mr Lucas for a comment via his publicist but received no reply.

Sir Elton and his husband David Furnish, longstanding friends of Walliams and perhaps his most famous, have also not spoken out against his alleged misconduct.

They holidayed with the father-of-one just last summer in the South of France, with Walliams sharing a video at the time showing him dancing around his friend who remained seated in a restaurant as he grooved to Whitney Houston's 1987 hit I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

His other famous pals, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon, have not made comments either.

They sat alongside him for the 10 years he was on the  Britain's Got Talent judging panel and were even pictured with an 18-year-old fan at a recording who was invited by Walliams. Just two weeks later, she accused him of trying to kiss her after getting her drunk while he drank water.

BGT bosses had launched a probe into Walliams' conduct behind-the-scenes after learning he had taken teenage girls into his dressing room but found 'no smoking gun' to sack him.

At the time of publication, both Ms Dixon and Ms Holden were still following his official Instagram account on social media.

Comedian Kate Smurthwaite has claimed Walliams was repeatedly named as a man to avoid on a female comics' WhatsApp group.

She told BBC Newsnight: 'Walliams is a name that came up over and over and over again. In particular, there was a sense of concern about him working with young people and new acts, people coming onto the circuit who maybe weren't as wise and experienced as the rest of us.

'It's a name that's been there from the get-go.'

Jonathan Ross is the only former friend of Walliams to so far release a statement after a video resurfaced from the British Comedy Awards in 2004, which showed him telling the audience: 'The Comedy Awards is 15 years old – 15 years old! And like most 15-year-olds, it's drunk, it's unpredictable and it's probably going home with David Walliams.'

Ross, 65, said he was 'horrified' by the allegations, adding: 'There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men [Walliams and Brand], and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.

'My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.'

While some acquaintances are not prepared to make a public statement, they seem to be making their feelings known in a more under-the-radar way, such as Alan Carr.

While he has not made a public comment, the presenter and comedian 'liked' a social media post of Lucy Beaumont, who identified herself as the whistleblower and said she has been 'doing everything she can' to support one of his alleged victims.

Carr, 50, commented on a post with five clapping emojis when stated how a man in his sixties can legally have sex with a 16-year-old. She wrote: 'He can't legally buy her a drink and he can't have a nude image of her. But he can sleep with her. And f*** her life up.'

In a statement, Walliams denies all accusations against him and said: 'I am not a sexual predator'.

He said: 'Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with… I realise I did not always take people's feelings properly into account. That is something I regret.

'And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did…

'I am not a sexual predator… I have not broken the law… I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to twenty years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.'