Women in the media industry join Government minister in voicing NDA concerns
Detailed summary
Allegations made against David Walliams have prompted a wider discussion around abuses of power by high-profile figures.
A Government minister has called for the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to be reviewed, as women in the media industry speak out about the use of the so-called gagging orders.
Women and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson said there is “scope to go further” in restricting the use of NDAs, to ensure the legal system is not abused “to silence women”.
Allegations made against author and TV personality David Walliams were reported by The Guardian and ITV News on Tuesday after he launched an unsuccessful bid to obtain an injunction to prevent their publication.
One woman described her alleged encounter with Walliams, when she was 15, as a “sexual assault”, while multiple women accused him of “grooming” them when they were teenagers.
The allegations – together with the sentencing of rapist comedian Russell Brand, who was jailed for 10 and a half years at Southwark Crown Court on Monday – have prompted a wider discussion around abuses of power by high-profile figures in the media industry.
Make-up artist Lou Teasdale said it is “open and standard protocol for girls to sign NDAs and and have their phones taken from them before they’re left alone with a famous man”.
In an Instagram post shared on Wednesday, the stylist – whose celebrity clients have included the likes of boyband One Direction – said: “I’m not accusing any of those I worked with of any wrongdoing.
“I’m talking about a culture that exists and is completely legal that treats a celebrity man’s privacy as more important than a woman’s safety.
“How can a man be expected to behave with any accountability when there is an agreement in place beforehand to remove the woman’s voice and the device that would keep her safe?”
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