David Walliams has taken a fresh swipe at his former Britain’s Got Talent colleague Simon Cowell during an appearance at Advertising Week Europe 2025.
The 53-year-old comedian made pointed remarks about winning the Best TV Judge award at the National Television Awards four times – an accolade that has eluded Cowell.
Walliams was speaking alongside his comedy partner Matt Lucas at the event in central London on Tuesday.
The comments highlight the ongoing tension between the two former colleagues, whose relationship is thought to have soured since Walliams left the talent show in 2022.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
David Walliams, 53, risks ‘being cancelled’ as he shocks BBC presenter with Keir Starmer dig in awkward on-air momentSimon Cowell, 65, embroiled in ITV BGT ‘staged’ row as fans spot glaring error in magician act: ‘How did he know!’David Walliams sues Britain’s Got Talent after being ousted over ‘sexually explicit’ remarks
While speaking to Walliams, event host Melanie Rockcliffe celebrated: “You were a judge on Britain’s Got Talent for a decade and won best judge at the National TV Awards four times.’
Walliams sniped back: “Simon Cowell never won. And that’s all he does, judges. Judging is just a tiny part of what I do.”
When Rockcliffe asked if Cowell was unhappy about this, the 53-year-old simply replied: “No,” before adding, “It was a fun show to do.”
The comedian reiterated his jibe, saying: “That’s all he does is judging. It was a tiny part of my career. For him, it was the focus and he still couldn’t win it.”
Walliams left Britain’s Got Talent in 2022 after he was revealed to have made several inappropriate comments about contestants during filming breaks.
The remarks, made in January 2020 at the London Palladium, were picked up by the programme’s microphones and revealed in December 2022.
In one instance, Walliams reportedly called an elderly contestant a “c***” three times after the person had left the stage.
He also made crude remarks about a female contestant, saying she was “like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f*** them, but you don’t.”
Walliams apologised for the “disrespectful comments” but subsequently sued production company Fremantle for misuse of private information – netting him around £5 million.
Following his exit, sources close to Walliams and Cowell revealed they were “no longer on speaking terms at all” amid a bitter feud, per the Daily Mail.
Another insider reported: “Simon and David fell out pretty bitterly, or at least that is the message that his (Simon’s) friends are keen to get out there.”
The source added: “It’s strange, David and Simon were so close, they adored one another.”
Before their falling out, the pair were described as having a “bromance” and would regularly socialise, enjoying dinners in upmarket Mayfair restaurants.
Walliams and Cowell appeared on 10 series of Britain’s Got Talent together and regularly engaged in what seemed to be good-natured banter.
