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Events / Business / HarperCollins drops David Walliams
Business contract termination

HarperCollins drops David Walliams

Analysis based on 27 articles · First reported Dec 19, 2025 · Last updated Dec 22, 2025

Sentiment
-50
Attention
4
Articles
27
Market Impact
General
Live prominence charts, article sentiment distribution, and event development timeline available on the Ergen Dashboard
Market Impact

The publishing market, particularly the children's book segment, will see a significant shift as News Corp — HarperCollins ceases to publish new titles by David Walliams, who was a bestselling author. This event could lead to a re-evaluation of author contracts and corporate responsibility policies within the industry, potentially affecting other authors and publishers.

Publishing Entertainment
Event Summary

David Walliams, a prominent British children's author and TV personality, has been dropped by his publisher, News Corp — HarperCollins UK, following an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior towards junior female employees. News Corp — HarperCollins UK, owned by News Corp, stated it would no longer publish new titles by David Walliams after careful consideration and under the leadership of its new CEO, Kate Elton. David Walliams strongly denies the allegations, claiming he was not informed of any investigation or given an opportunity to respond, and is now taking legal advice. This development follows previous controversies involving David Walliams, including his departure from Britain's Got Talent in 2022 after making crude remarks about contestants, for which he later sued Australia — Fremantle.

Entities Involved
per
David Walliams
David Walliams has been dropped by News Corp — HarperCollins UK following allegations of inappropriate behavior, impacting his publishing career and public image. He denies the allegations and is taking legal advice.
Importance 100.0 Sentiment -70.0
subs
News Corp — HarperCollins
News Corp — HarperCollins UK decided to cease publishing new titles by David Walliams after an internal investigation into harassment allegations, affecting its children's book sales and potentially its reputation.
Importance 90.0 Sentiment -20.0
priv
Waterstones
Waterstones removed David Walliams from its Children's Book Festival lineup after News Corp — HarperCollins confirmed his non-appearance, reacting to the allegations against him.
Importance 80.0 Sentiment 0.0
stock
News Corp
News Corp is the parent company of News Corp — HarperCollins UK, which made the decision to drop David Walliams.
Importance 10.0 Sentiment 0.0
per
Charlie Redmayne
Charlie Redmayne was the former chief executive of News Corp — HarperCollins UK who stepped down in October, preceding the decision to drop David Walliams.
Importance 5.0 Sentiment 0.0
per
Kate Elton
Kate Elton took over as interim CEO of News Corp — HarperCollins UK and led the decision to not publish new titles by David Walliams.
Importance 5.0 Sentiment 0.0
loc
Australia — Fremantle
Australia — Fremantle, the producer of Britain's Got Talent, reached an amicable resolution with David Walliams after he sued them for misuse of private information regarding leaked comments.
Importance 5.0 Sentiment 0.0
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