David Walliams Và Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell has finally broken his silence about David Walliams’ exit from Britain’s Got Talent, calling his controversial leaked comments "upsetting". The judge, who is once again starring in Britain’s Got Talent, spoke about the situation to lớn The Sun, admitting that he "didn’t really get involved" in the decision for David khổng lồ step down from the show.
David quit BGT after several controversial comments were leaked from a previous season, where he used expletives to lớn describe two contestants. Simon said: "From what I understand, he decided lớn take a step back. It all happened relatively quickly.
WATCH: Amanda Holden shows her support for David Walliams amid backlash
"I was on holiday & then the next thing is I’m having conversations about who’s going to take his place. We did say to lớn the two producers, ‘You have khổng lồ make the final decision,’ because, yeah, I am an exec producer, but they’re more hands-on… Obviously everyone had some input – the network, the producers, Bạn đang xem: David walliams và simon cowell
"I had not heard them before and, yeah, it was upsetting. But from where I’m sitting, this wasn’t something I believe was constant."
David Walliams quit BGT
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The bestselling children's book tác giả apologised for his comments in a statement, saying: "I would like to apologise to lớn the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain's Got Talent in 2020. These were private conversations and - lượt thích most conversations with friends - were never intended khổng lồ be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry."
The television personality has been a firm fixture on the Britain's Got Talent judging panel since 2012. During his stint on the show, David scooped 'best judge' at the National Television Awards on three occasions. He has since been replaced by former Strictly judge, Bruno Tonioli.
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Simon Cowell has spoken out about David Walliams for the first time since he exited Britain’s Got Talent. Xem thêm: Pewpew Chia Tay Trâm Anh Nhưng Vẫn "Chốt Đơn" Với Một Người Đặc Biệt
It comes after the comedian issued an apology after he quit the show late last year, as it emerged that he had made explicit remarks about contestants in private.
The talent show judge & BGT producer shared that while he thought David "seemed respectful" lớn contestants most of the time, he believed his comments weren’t appropriate for the family show.
Related: Britain"s Got Talent star gives birth following incredible audition
In a recent interview with The Sun, Cowell explained: "I didn’t really get involved in the decision. From what I understand, he decided lớn take a step back.
"It all happened relatively quickly. I was on holiday & then the next thing is I’m having conversations about who’s going to take his place."
"We did say to lớn the two producers: ‘You have khổng lồ make the final decision’ because, yeah, I am an exec producer, but they’re more hands on."
He added: "Obviously everyone had some input — the network, the producers Fremantle, all of us said at the time, these comments are completely unacceptable."
Related: Britain"s Got Talent"s Simon Cowell teases big Golden Buzzer change this series
Cowell went on to lớn say that during his ten year stint on the show with Walliams, as a judge alongside Alesha Dixson và Amanda Holden, he hadn’t previously seen Walliams behave inappropriately to contestants.
"I had not heard them before and, yeah, it was upsetting. But from where I’m sitting, this wasn’t something I believe was constant."
He added: "Most of the time David seemed very respectful and emotional about the contestants and was doing everything that a judge should be doing on a show lượt thích this."
Jeff Spicer//Getty Images
Related: Britain"s Got Talent"s Bruno Tonioli responds khổng lồ his Golden Buzzer mistake in first episode
Late last year, Walliams apologised for the messages he sent lớn his friends while filming the ITV show in 2020, that were obtained by The Guardian.
In a statement, Walliams 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 & – lượt thích most conversations with friends – were never intended khổng lồ be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry."
Walliams was replaced by former Strictly Come Dancing judge and Dancing with the Stars regular Bruno Tonioli.
