Jonathan Ross says he is horrified by Walliams allegations and Brand crimes

The presenter said in a statement to the Press Association that he had once been on friendly terms with both men but was “genuinely unaware of their conduct” at the time. His thoughts, he said, were with the women who had come forward.

Ross also addressed a joke he made while hosting the British Comedy Awards in 2004, which was reported in The Guardian’s investigation into Walliams. Referring to the awards being 15 years old, Ross said that, like most 15-year-olds, they were “drunk”, “unpredictable” and “probably going home with David Walliams”.

Ross described the joke as “tasteless” and said it had been submitted by the awards’ scriptwriting team. He said he believed it referred to Walliams having publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect. Had he suspected it referred to actual events, he said, he would have refused to use it. The joke alone does not establish what Ross knew at the time.

In their joint investigation, The Guardian and ITV News reported allegations of sexual misconduct against Walliams from several women. Two said they first met him when they were 15 and accused him of grooming them.

Walliams denies the allegations and says he has not broken the law. He told the journalists he regretted sometimes behaving thoughtlessly towards people with whom he had casual sexual relationships.

In a separate case, Brand was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault against four women. The Crown Prosecution Service said the offences took place between 2004 and 2009.