David Walliams is suing Britain’s Got Talent producers, after being “axed” from the show.
The comedian, who joined the show as a judge in 2012, quit last year after facing major backlash over “disrespectful comments” he made.
The 52-year-old is now seeking damages from the company that produces the show on ITV’s behalf, with legal paperwork suggesting that he is accusing bosses there of leaking details of his comments to a newspaper.
According to MailOnline, the court documents were lodged at the High Court in London last Thursday.
David is reportedly accusing the production company of data protection breach over the leaked transcript, which was seen by and reported on by The Guardian.
The transcript alleged David referred to an older performer as a “c***” three times when he was out of earshot, following an unsuccessful audition.
During his audition, the contestant had reportedly engaged in light-hearted banter with the judges and made a jibe about David.
The transcript also suggests further sexually explicit comments were made by the comedian after a female contestant had walked off the stage.
Back in November, David apologised for his “disrespectful comments” in a statement which read: “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,” he added.
David reportedly made £1.5million-a-year for his role as a judge on the popular show.
ITV said: “We do not condone the language outlined in these allegations, and we have spoken to the producers of Britain’s Got Talent.”
“Duty of care towards all participants on any of our programmes is always of paramount importance and we have protocols and guidelines in place for all our production partners.”
