David Walliams and Matt Lucas were not best pals before the father-of-one made derogatory remarks on Britain's Got Talent.
The comedian, 51 has issued an apology over comments he made about several contestants on the popular ITV show in 2020 - which included calling a pensioner a c**t.
But prior to becoming a judge on the talent show, David was riding high as he kept the nation entertained with Matt, 48, in Little Britain and later Come Fly With Me.
However, the pair stopped working with each other in 2011, amid reports their friendship was under strain.
Matt revealed in his autobiography the duo ended up fighting backstage in 2005 during their Little Britain Live tour.
In the book entitled Little Me, the Bake Off host said the pair were "often at loggerheads", and rowed over little things, including what kind of chocolate should be on their rider.
The star also spoke of screaming matches and 'obscenities being hurled' when the pair crossed swords again during the Australian leg of their tour in 2007.
And in a final swipe, Matt sniped: "Walliams has now sold so many children's books he can probably buy his own private jet, all decked out in pink, with a river inside it for him to swim up."
But then David had his say.
When flogging his own autobiography, Camp David, in 2012 on Radio 4 he said he had Matt were: "very different people and probably want different things and had different working methods".
He added: "Well, it’s over for the time being. Whether it’s over forever I don’t know."
Matt and David finally started to work together again in 2019, creating a one-off special of Little Britain called Little Brexit, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4, where the show started in 2000.
David then bagged the BGT gig in 2012 and was subsequently recognised at the National Television Awards as the 'Best Judge' in 2015, 2018 and also in 2019.
However, leaked recordings of conversations between the comic and an unknown person revealed the author made several disrespectful comments during filming at the London Palladium in 2020.
During one intimate conversation, David described a contestant as a "c**t", before claiming another would think the judge wanted to "f**k her".
The Guardian obtained several transcripts of conversations between the comedian and the unknown person, including one in which he calls a male contestant a "c**t" after the pensioner appeared to make a lighthearted jibe at the judge.
Another comment came after a female contestant walked off the famous stage, with David heard quipping: "She's like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f**k them, but you don't."
The comedian has now issued an apology, saying: "I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain's Got Talent in 2020.
"These were private conversations and - like most conversations with friends - were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry."
