The bookshop chain said the bestselling author will ‘no longer be appearing’ at a Dundee event after HarperCollins announced it won’t publish new titles by him
David Walliams has been dropped from the Waterstones Children’s book festival following allegations of inappropriate behaviour. The decision comes days after his publisher, HarperCollins, cut ties with the author. Walliams has denied the allegations.
Walliams was set to appear at the Dundee leg of the festival on February 7. He has now been removed from the list of speakers on the festival’s website. A spokesperson for Waterstones told the Guardian: “HarperCollins have confirmed that David Walliams will no longer be appearing at our festival in Dundee.”
HarperCollins dropped Walliams after an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards young women, the Telegraph reported on Friday. According to the newspaper, he was the subject of complaints that he had “harassed” junior female staff at HarperCollins UK. One woman who raised concerns is understood to have left the company after reaching a settlement that included a five-figure payout. After the investigation, the publisher decided it would no longer release new titles by the author.
