They were once best friends, whose cheeky on-screen pranks helped keep Britain’s Got Talent among the highest-rated TV shows for the ten series they appeared in together.
Off screen, Simon Cowell and David Walliams also regularly socialized and enjoyed dinners at luxury Mayfair restaurants.
But two years after former judge David Walliams left BGT, when audio of him making disparaging comments about contestants off camera was leaked to a newspaper, The Mail can reveal how he and Cowell “no longer speak at all” As a result the dispute between the couple became increasingly bitter.
Those who know the couple say Cowell has gone to great lengths to distance himself from the Little Britain comedian, even telling industry friends he was glad to see the humiliated star leave the BGT judging panel and confirming he had cut things off. ties with him.
David Walliams and Simon Cowell, seen in 2020, ‘no longer on speaking terms at all’
The couple with fellow Britain’s Got Talent judges Alesha Dixon, bottom left, and Amanda Holden.
In fact, eagle-eyed fans will notice that Cowell also unfollowed Walliams on social media.
And this week, Walliams managed to drag their already toxic relationship into even more bitter and childish territory when he revealed on television how he named his dog Eric, the same name as Cowell’s 11-year-old son.
It’s surely not a coincidence, and was probably designed to annoy his former friend.
But, professional differences aside, what could have happened to drive such a significant wedge between the two men who were once so close they were described as having a “bromance”?
It’s true that Walliams left the show under a clear cloud, and would have embarrassed Cowell, who created Britain’s Got Talent, and sees it as his baby.
The microphones had caught him using shocking, vile and misogynistic language about the contestants, describing one woman as “like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub who thinks you want to fuck them, but you don’t.”
The comments were made while Walliams and fellow judges Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden were off air. However, an agreement had apparently been reached that all of their comments would be recorded for possible use.
Walliams apologized but still sued production company Fremantle for misuse of private information and breach of data laws. The company apologized and said the matter had been resolved and Walliams is believed to have quietly walked away with around £5m.
But now that the matter is settled, Cowell’s friends have been mysteriously informing the media that he and Walliams are no longer on speaking terms. There’s a theory that Cowell doesn’t want to be associated with his old friend because he’s nervous about what he’ll do (or what might come to light) next.
A friend said: ‘Simon and David fell out quite bitterly, or at least that’s the message his (Simon’s) friends are keen to convey.
‘It’s strange, David and Simon were so close that they adored each other. But now she wants to distance herself from David so badly that you wonder what’s going on.
One thing is certain: since his departure from BGT, Walliams hasn’t had a big TV gig. Although on Wednesday he made a bizarre return – dressed as a Christmas tree to appear on ITV’s all-female chat show Loose Women to promote his latest children’s book, Super Sleuth. To some, this could be seen as a fall from grace.
Viewers loved Walliams’ jokes and the campiness gave him an immediate niche on the show.
With his face peeking out of a hole in the tinsel-covered life-size prop, he talked about his podcast and promised he would return to TV with fellow comedian Matt Lucas.
He also managed to include a mention of Eric the border collie in his typical deadpan style.
A friend balked: ‘Imagine what Simon must have done with that!’
It was a stark contrast to 2012, when star-maker Cowell hired Walliams as a judge on BGT. He was said to have been paid six figures for the work and instantly became loved by all generations.
Viewers loved his jokes and the folksy nature gave him an immediate niche that sets him apart from his co-judges.
ITV golden boy Walliams’ world began to fall apart in November 2022, with those rude comments leaking.
In a statement, he said: “These were private conversations and, like most conversations with friends, they were never intended to be shared.” However, I’m sorry.’
Walliams, who rose to fame in the mid-2000s with Little Britain, was later ousted by Cowell.
His aggressive response to the scandal is believed to have further irritated Cowell, who hired former Strictly star friend Bruno Tonioli to replace him on the judging panel.
Friends of Cowell have commented: “Simon was furious at the way David reacted when he left the show and now sees him in a very different light, while David blames Simon for not supporting him when some recordings of him being rude and abusive to The show’s contestants were leaked by disgruntled production staff.
“He thinks Simon was secretly happy about this, and to be honest, he probably was.”
In fact, BGT sources tell me that Cowell wanted Walliams off the show before his outburst, fearing, perhaps, that there would be trouble down the line.
Despite playing along with David’s group flirting game in the past, those familiar with the situation say he finds the comic “unbearable” and feels the joke ended in the end.
An insider added: “The jokes about Simon being gay stopped being funny a long time ago; he happily settled in with a family and eventually became annoying.” It was also quite insulting to his partner, Lauren (Silverman), who ultimately didn’t find it funny either.
“He just didn’t drop it; some of his nonsense just started to feel extremely immature.”
“Towards the end of their time working together, Simon had grown a little fed up with David’s over-the-top behaviour, but knew he was popular with viewers, so he left things alone and accepted,” a close source said. to the couple.
“But since then things have gotten really bad between them, they don’t even talk to each other anymore and all that banter has turned into quite a bit of bitterness. They used to socialize together, but now they wouldn’t dream of doing so.
Cowell’s friends say that while he was once fond of Walliams, he has now come to have a new view of him: telling friends that he is “nothing like his TV act” behind the scenes and that “he only works for himself,” and adds: “He thinks it is totally false and quite unpleasant.
There is very little chance of this once successful couple reuniting in showbiz.
Another entertainment source said Walliams was also “quite jealous” of Cowell, citing his greater wealth, greater success and the fact that he is much more influential in show business.
“David is ruthlessly ambitious,” the friend said, “so his natural instinct is to try to ridicule someone who is actually higher up the hierarchy than him.”
“He’s obviously used to being the most important person in a room, but with Simon he couldn’t feel that.”
And when asked in more recent interviews about his time on the show and his former boss, the comedian became revealingly rude, insisting that he no longer watches the popular series and joking that Cowell has been the inspiration for the “evil” characters. in his successful series. books.
What is clear to those in the know is that there is very little chance of a showbiz reunion for this once-successful couple.
As one of them concludes: “They will certainly never work together again, but it is very possible that they will not even speak and Cowell is happy to let everyone know it.”