GB News has fired Laurence Fox following controversial comments he made about a female journalist live on air. The former actor and political activist had hosted a weekly show on the channel and sparked outrage when he asked what “self-respecting man” would “climb into bed” with Ava Evans. More than 8,800 people complained about Fox’s remarks to media regulator Ofcom, which has launched an investigation.
Fellow GB News host Calvin Robinson, who was suspended after voicing support for Fox and radio presenter Dan Wootton, has also been fired. Robinson questioned how long the channel could “keep calling itself ‘the home of free speech’ when it continues to engage in cancel culture”. Wootton was suspended last week and is the subject of ongoing internal investigations.
The incident happened when Fox appeared on Wootton’s show and was asked for his views on an appearance by Ms Evans, political correspondent for PoliticsJoe, on the BBC’s Politics Live. Fox said: “That little woman has been fed, spoon-fed oppression day after day after day. And she’s sat there and I’m going like – if I met you in a bar and that was like sentence three, [the] chances of me just walking away are just huge.” He then added: “Who’d want to shag that?” Wootton laughed, but later apologised “unreservedly” for “a very unfortunate lapse in judgement”.
GB News CEO Angelos Frangopoulos said Fox’s remarks were “appalling” and “way past the limits of acceptance”. He told the BBC: “We are about free speech, but it’s about being done in a respectful and proper way, and that was not the way that that conversation played out.” The channel launched in June 2021 and had 2.8 million viewers last month.
Fox has frequently caused controversy in recent years, positioning himself as a right-wing commentator, activist and aspiring politician. He stood for election in the London mayoral race in 2021 and came fourth in the by-election to succeed Boris Johnson as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in July
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