Kate Garraway Under Fire for Calling Jonathan Ross ‘Brave’ in Explosive GMB Debate Over David Walliams and Russell Brand

Kate Garraway has faced a wave of criticism after defending her friend Jonathan Ross during a heated Good Morning Britain discussion about his past relationships with David Walliams and Russell Brand.

The presenter described Ross as “brave” for publicly distancing himself from the two men, but her choice of words quickly became a talking point among viewers. The debate centred on Ross’s apology for a resurfaced joke about Walliams and 15-year-olds, alongside questions about how much people in their professional and social circles knew about the allegations surrounding both comedians.

Garraway, who became friends with Ross after appearing alongside him on Celebrity Traitors in 2025, argued that he deserved credit for speaking out.

“I think he has been rather brave about coming out and saying this,” she said.

Not everyone on the panel agreed.

Ayesha Hazarika Challenges Ross’s Claims of Being Unaware

GMB guest Ayesha Hazarika pushed back against the suggestion that people who moved in the same circles as Brand and Walliams could have been completely unaware of concerns about their behaviour.

She pointed to the culture of comedy at the time, arguing that jokes about sexual behaviour towards women were often treated as entertainment.

“They were part of a culture where it was just hilarious to joke about doing something to a woman, a woman who’s there with you. That is not okay,” Hazarika said.

She also questioned the idea that people in the industry had no reason to suspect anything, citing an exchange during The Big Fat Quiz of the Year in 2007.

Viewers subsequently took to social media to challenge Garraway’s description of Ross as “brave”, with several suggesting the word was misplaced given the circumstances.

Jonathan Ross Apologises for His Joke About David Walliams

The controversy centres on an old joke that resurfaced after allegations against Walliams became public.

At the 2004 British Comedy Awards, Ross made a remark about the event being 15 years old and joked that, like many teenagers, it was “probably going home with David Walliams”.

He later made a similar joke during The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, telling host Jimmy Carr that Lily Allen had been placed near two of the best-known “c***smen” in the business. Ross then joked that she might go home with her dress still on.

Noel Fielding responded: “How dare you, we’re not rapists.”

Brand added: “What if, horror of horrors, he ain’t even done a rape. You could ruin his career. Have you done a rape?”

In a statement issued after the footage resurfaced, Ross, 65, described the 2004 joke as “tasteless” and said he would not make such a remark today.

He explained that the line had been submitted by the British Comedy Awards’ scriptwriting team. At the time, he believed it referred to Walliams having publicly dated younger women, with the joke exaggerating that situation for comic effect.

Ross insisted he had been “genuinely unaware” of the allegations against Walliams and Brand.

“Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him,” he said.

He added that he would like to think he would have acted had he known.

Ross’s Longstanding Connections to Walliams and Brand Come Under Scrutiny

The debate has also drawn attention to Ross’s history with both men, particularly his friendship with Walliams.

Walliams was a regular guest on Ross’s television programmes and attended his Halloween parties throughout the 2010s. The pair were also photographed together after dining at Scott’s Restaurant in Mayfair in 2024.

Their professional association stretched back years. Walliams appeared on The Jonathan Ross Christmas Special in 2016 and returned to The Jonathan Ross Show in 2024, where he discussed meeting Tom Cruise with his son and a proposed project with Matt Lucas.

Ross and Walliams also appeared together on the chat show in 2018.

His relationship with Brand dates back to the mid-2000s. Brand appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in May 2006, before the pair became embroiled in the 2008 scandal later known as “Sachsgate”.

The controversy erupted after Ross and Brand left explicit voicemails for actor Andrew Sachs about Brand’s relationship with his 23-year-old granddaughter, Georgina Baillie. One message included Ross shouting: “He f***ed your granddaughter!”

The incident triggered a huge public backlash, a £150,000 fine for the BBC and a 12-week suspension for Ross. Brand subsequently left the corporation and moved to the US.

Despite the fallout, the two remained close. Ross later described the scandal as an experience that brought them together, saying in 2013 that the only genuinely positive thing to emerge from it was that they had become “very close”.

Serious Allegations Against Both Comedians Continue to Cast a Shadow

The renewed scrutiny comes amid serious allegations involving both men.

Brand was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of rape and three counts of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court. Ross said he was horrified by Brand’s crimes.

Walliams, meanwhile, has been accused of sexual misconduct, including allegations involving teenage girls and claims that he abused his position to pursue women. One woman alleges that he groomed and sexually assaulted her after they met when she was 15. Another claims he first contacted her at 15, with their relationship becoming sexual when she was 17.

Walliams denies all allegations and any criminal wrongdoing. He has also rejected the description of himself as a sexual predator.

The controversy has extended beyond Ross’s statement, with claims emerging that concerns about Walliams had circulated within entertainment and publishing circles for years.

Comedian Kate Smurthwaite told BBC Newsnight that Walliams was repeatedly named in a WhatsApp group created by female comedians to share warnings about male colleagues. She said there had been particular concern about his interactions with young performers and newcomers to the industry.

Author Chloe Combi also claimed she had been warned more than a decade ago not to invite Walliams to a project involving teenagers. She said a contact had advised her that he was not an appropriate booking for schools because of concerns about his behaviour around young female staff.

These accounts form part of the wider scrutiny surrounding the allegations against Walliams, which he strongly denies.

Government Warns Entertainment Industry It Must Change

The scandal has now prompted questions about the responsibility of broadcasters and entertainment companies to protect young women and girls.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is due to meet industry leaders after concerns that the alleged behaviour of powerful entertainers went unchallenged because of their influence and commercial value.

She has warned that legislation could follow if broadcasters fail to take meaningful action.

“A decade and a half on from the revelations about Jimmy Savile, and ten years on from the MeToo movement, we must finally take meaningful steps to end abuse and harassment,” Nandy said.

Downing Street has also described the allegations against Walliams as “deeply troubling”, adding that there is “a pattern of behaviour that needs to change”.

Against that backdrop, Garraway’s defence of Ross has become another flashpoint in an increasingly heated debate: whether people who once worked and socialised alongside controversial figures should be praised for speaking out now, or questioned about what they knew at the time.

Ross maintains that he was unaware of their conduct and has expressed sympathy for the women who have come forward. But on GMB, the choice to call him “brave” was enough to ignite a fresh argument.