Jonathan Ross issues 'horrified' statement on Russell Brand and David Walliams

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Jonathan Ross has issued a statement on his former 'friends' Russell Brand and David Walliams, saying he was 'genuinely unaware' of their conduct.

Jonathan Ross has spoken out about his former 'friends' Russell Brand and David Walliams. Brand faces imprisonment for rape while Walliams confronts accusations of preying on vulnerable teenagers for sexual purposes.

The well-known presenter has now released a statement, revealing he was once on friendly terms with both men - but was 'genuinely unaware of their conduct', according to The Mirror.

Ross added that his 'thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward'. The statement follows the resurfacing of footage showing Ross joking at an awards ceremony about 'drunk 15-year-olds' 'going home with David Walliams', who was seen laughing at the quip.

He said: "I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation.

"There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men, and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct. My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward."

Ross, 65, then turned his attention to an old clip from a 2004 awards ceremony in which he was heard quipping: "The comedy awards is 15 years old - 15 years old! And like most 15-year-olds, it's drunk, it's unpredictable and it's probably going home with David Walliams."

Ross was keen to clarify that he had not written the joke himself, stating: "I recognise how deeply shocking it is to revisit footage of a joke delivered by me at the Comedy Awards in 2004, in which I make light of the notion of Walliams going home with a 15-year-old.

"This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards script writing team and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect.

"It is also a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone, but that is beside the point.

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