Laurence Fox and Dan Wootton suspended from GB News.

Hannah Walton-Hughes

Dan Wootton and Laurence Fox have been suspended from GB News after claims of misogynistic comments on Wootton’s show.

Fox, when appearing as a guest on Wootton’s evening show last Tuesday, has been widely criticised for a number of insults he directed towards political journalist Ava Evans.

Evans released the clip from Wootton’s show on her X account, saying she felt “physically sick” after hearing the discussion on live broadcast. 

Media regulator Ofcom have launched investigations into GB News after receiving thousands of complaints about the show.

Fox’s Comments on GB News

The broadcast showed the actor and Reclaim party founder using sexually explicit language when referring to Evans. He said: “show me a single self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman, ever, ever.”

He then accused Evans of being a “little woman” who has been “spoon-fed oppression,” and is a “feminist 4.0.”

Fox finished his tirade saying: “who would want to shag that?” 

“Wootton was suspended from the channel with immediate effect.”

Wootton, the presenter, could be seen smirking throughout the exchange, despite later issuing an apology expressing disgust at his own reaction. 

The chat show discussion followed Evans’ appearance on BBC’s Politics Live programme on Monday 25th September, where she disputed the idea of a minister for men.

An Apology

Evans claimed that Wootton called her multiple times on the night of the broadcast and left voicemails. Wootton’s lawyer stated that he would respect Evans’ request for no contact. Nonetheless, he was sincere in his apology.

However, Fox released screenshots of messages between himself and Wootton. Wootton sent laughing emojis, indicating his amusement at the exchange during the broadcast. 

Following this revelation, Wootton was suspended from the channel with immediate effect. The Daily Mail also terminated their contract with him.

“Evans said she was made to feel disgusting and vile.”

Fox initially alleged that the media were “obsessed with cancelling” him, and said he stood by his comments. However, on Thursday evening, Fox released a fifteen-minute video on X apologising for “demeaning” Ms. Evans. Yet he made it clear that he was still angry with her for the comments she made on BBC. 

GB News also issued a direct apology to Evans. They’ve described Fox’s words as ‘totally unacceptable,’ and have launched an investigation into the situation.

However, Fox has claimed that GB News knew how the conversation between himself and Wootton would be framed after a “pre-interview” prior to the live broadcast.

Responses to the situation

In the days following the incident, Evans said she was made to feel “disgusting” and “vile,” but commented that the apology she received from GB News was the best she could have hoped for. 

Evans has since revealed she received threats from people who are in support of Fox, and felt that she needed to “watch over her shoulder” before going into her house. 

“This incident has sparked controversy over the channel itself and what it stands for.”

Many GB News presenters, including Mark Dolan and Camilla Tominey, have distanced themselves from Fox’s comments, describing them as “disgraceful” and “appalling misogyny.” 

However, Calvin Robinson – another presenter on the channel – was suspended after coming out in support of Wootton in a Tweet. 

What’s next for GB News?

This incident has sparked controversy over the channel itself and what it stands for. 

Conservative MP, Caroline Noakes, told BBC’s Newsnight that she believes GB News should be taken off air, and called the comments by Fox “abhorrent.”

The former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has also weighed in on this issue. He stated that he believes the regulator Ofcom need to have “more teeth to deal with issues of standards.”

Ofcom has said they will publish the results of their investigation and assessment “as quickly as possible.”

Evans has taken issue with the fact that many Conservative MPs host shows on the channel, including Jacob Rees Mogg, Lee Anderson, and Esther McVey. 

“It makes me very uncomfortable as a journalist to see those sorts of people, the people who make our laws, who speak in the ‘mother of all parliaments’ alongside that kind of narrative,” she said.

While Fox was suspended from the news program almost immediately, he is yet to hear whether he will ever return to the channel following a disciplinary hearing.

READ NEXT:

Imagery courtesy of Steve Eason on Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

I am an aspiring political journalist, and am passionate about writing and reporting on local, national, and international news. Currently, I am a second year Undergraduate student studying English with Creative Writing at the University of Nottingham. I am a regular contributor to the News, Features, Reviews and Entertainment sections of the University's magazine, Impact, where I also hold the position of Head of the Reviews section. I am a member of the News team at University Radio Nottingham, where I am a panelist on the weekly News and Political shows, as well as partaking in reporting. Previous work experience includes a week's placement at Your LocalLink Magazine in York, in addition to shadowing MP Jason McCartney in Parliament. See my LinkedIn page for more. Over lockdown, I appeared on BBC Radio York during York, discussing my Creative Writing.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *