David Walliams’ books dropped by publisher following misconduct claims

Children’s author and Britain’s Got Talent judge David Williams' books dropped

The decision came after reports surfaced, accusing Williams of inappropriate behaviour toward young women.

The children’s author denies the claims, stating that he wasn’t aware of HarperCollins’ investigation at the time.

It is reported that the publisher will phase out their stock of Williams’ physical copies, as well as e-books and audio versions available online.

Since 2008, all 23 of Williams’ children's books have been published by HarperCollins, including his first edition, The Boy in the Dress, as well as short stories and picture books.

Other titles such as Gangsta Granny, Mr Stink, and Ratburger, all amounted to roughly £60 million in sales. 

All of William’s publications from HarperCollins has been taken off their website, including his author page.

Merely days following HarperCollins’ decision, Williams was dropped by the Waterstones Children’s Book festival.

After the decision of letting Williams go came out, former employees were told to not visit his home and advised to work in pairs when meeting with him.

“HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns,” said a spokesperson on behalf of the publisher.

“To respect the privacy of individuals, we do not comment on internal matters.”

Upon hearing the news, Williams denied the allegations, to which a spokesperson said: “David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins. 

“He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. 

“David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.”

David Williams rose to fame alongside comedian Matt Lucas with their BBC sketches, Little Britain and Come Fly with Me.

He secured a role as a judge on Britain's Got Talent in 2012, until his departure in 2022 following leaked transcripts of obscene comments towards contestants.

The transcripts read: “She thinks you want to f*** her, but you don’t” as well as calling another contestant a “c**t”.

Williams has since apologised for his “disrespectful comments” saying that they were “never intended to be shared”.

He later sued the hit TV show’s production company, FreemantleMedia, for leaking the rude comments, with the case being settled in 2023.