British comedian David Walliams’ cameo in new movie Fing! has been cut from an upcoming U.S. release amid sexual misconduct allegations against him.
Walliams, 55, cowrote Fing!, which is based on his 2019 children’s book of the same name, and had filmed a small role in the adaptation.
Distributor Angel Studios told Deadline on Tuesday, November 10, that he will no longer appear in the final cut, which is set for release in January 2027.
“We take the allegations reported regarding David Walliams seriously,” a representative for the company said. “Our thoughts are with anyone who has been affected. We have removed his cameo appearance from Fing!, and he will have no involvement in the film’s release or promotion.”
Fing! stars Mia Wasikowska, Blake Harrison, Taika Waititi and Walliams’ longtime comedy partner Matt Lucas.
On Tuesday, the film’s U.K. and Australian distributors both confirmed that they were no longer planning to release it.
“The allegations made against David Walliams are extremely serious. We have notified the producers of the film of our intention to exit our position as the U.K. & Ireland licensee of Fing,” a spokesperson for U.K. distributor Sky told Variety.
Australian streaming service Stan said in a statement to Mediaweek, “In light of the recent and serious allegations against David Walliams, Stan has removed Fing! from its content slate.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Walliams was accused of sexual misconduct and grooming in reports by the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper and ITV News, following a lengthy joint investigation spanning three years.
Walliams had previously sought an injunction against the two companies to keep his identity concealed and stop publication of the allegations. His lawyers claimed he was a suicide risk, however, a U.K. High Court judge ruled against his request for anonymity last week.
After months of legal wrangling, The Guardian and ITV News published their reports on Tuesday after Walliams failed to meet a deadline to appeal the judge’s decision.
According to the outlets, multiple women accused Walliams — a former judge on Britain’s Got Talent — of using his position in the U.K. entertainment industry to groom them. Two of the women, now in their 30s, said they were 15 when they met him.
Walliams denied the accusations against him in a statement to The Guardian and ITV News published on Tuesday.
“Looking back, I realize that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with,” he said. “I realize I did not always take people’s feelings properly into account. That is something I regret. And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something I never did.”
He added, “I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).