Laurence Fox – latest: GB News suspends presenter Calvin Robinson as Ava Evans issues new response

Fox has said he’s completed a ‘disciplinary hearing’ but cannot ‘speak freely’ about it

Laurence Fox says he expects to be fired issuing half-apology for GB News sexist rant

GB News presenter Calvin Robinson has said the broadcaster has suspended him after he shared his support for Dan Wootton over Laurence Fox’s comments on his show.

Robinson, who hosts a religious current affairs programme on the channel, said in a social media post on Friday that he would not appear on Dan Wootton Tonight without the suspended presenter, claiming “if he falls, we all fall”.

Wootton and Fox, an actor-turned-politician, was suspended from the channel after Fox made a series of remarks about political correspondent Ava Evans, which included asking “who would want to shag that?” during Wootton’s show on Tuesday.

On Friday, Fox said he had completed a “disciplinary hearing” ahead of his rumoured sacking from GB News.

Meanwhile, Ms Evans spoke out about the comments, describing them as “unforgiveable”.

Key Points

• GB News chief ‘horrified' by sexist comments
• MailOnline sacks already suspended Dan Wootton
• GB News programme prompts 7,300 Ofcom complaints
• Channel suspends Wootton pending investigation
• Laurence Fox has disciplinary hearing at GB News but cannot ‘speak freely’ about it

[28 September 2023 20:55 · Jane Dalton]

Odd for Tory colleagues to ‘swan off’ to host GB News shows, says MP

In case you missed it, Tory MP Caroline Nokes has criticised a number of her Conservative colleagues for “swanning off” to host shows on GB News:

[28 September 2023 21:23 · Eleanor Noyce]

Laurence Fox apologises for ‘demeaning’ comments made about Ava Evans on GB News

Laurence Fox has apologised for his comments made on GB News about journalist Ava Evans, saying “I’m sorry for demeaning you in that way”.

Actor-turned-politician Fox made a series of remarks about political correspondent Ms Evans, which included asking “who would want to shag that?” during a discussion on Dan Wootton Tonight on Tuesday.

Both Fox and Wootton, who could be heard laughing during the segment, were suspended by GB News amid an internal investigation and a probe by regulator Ofcom, who received around 7,300 complaints about the episode.

[28 September 2023 22:00 · Eleanor Noyce]

ICYMI: Piers Morgan shares his verdict on Laurence Fox’s GB News rant

Piers Morgan has called Laurence Fox a “disgusting piece of misogynist trash” over his on-air remarks about journalist Ava Evans.

Fox, 45, has been suspended by GB News after he made a series of derogatory comments about Evans, a political correspondent for the online news site Joe, during a live interview with Dan Wootton on the right-leaning channel.

“Show me a single self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman ever, ever, who wasn’t an incel,” Fox declared of Evans on Tuesday night (26 September).

[28 September 2023 23:00 · Eleanor Noyce]

ICYMI: MailOnline terminates contract with columnist Dan Wootton amid GB News furore

Dan Wootton’s MailOnline column has been terminated following his suspension from GB News over remarks about a female journalist made by Laurence Fox on the broadcaster’s show.

The 40-year-old had written a regular column for the online outlet since 2021 but it was paused in August while the publication investigated allegations he used a pseudonym and offered colleagues money for sexual material.

Wootton previously said he had made “errors of judgment” in the past but branded the “criminal allegations” as “simply untrue”.

[29 September 2023 00:01 · Eleanor Noyce]

Laurence Fox: Journeyman from acting dynasty who became resident ranting sexist on Right wing TV

“I say quite a lot of unfortunate things,” Laurence Fox admitted during an appearance on Good Morning Britain back in 2020. “But I think it’s really important for one to express one’s opinion, and for that opinion to be attacked or taken down with bad ideas or better ideas.” Since then, the actor has banged the free-speech drum repeatedly, stressing his right to “express one’s opinion”.

And he has also said a lot more “unfortunate things” in his new capacity as the hard right’s resident contrarian, culminating in his appearance on Dan Wootton’s GB News show on Tuesday night, when he made offensive and misogynistic comments about the political journalist Ava Evans. “Show me a single self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman ever, ever, who wasn’t an incel,” he said. “We don’t need those sorts of feminist 4.0. They’re pathetic and embarrassing, Who’d want to shag that?”

A member of the Fox acting clan once best known for his cosy role as a TV detective, Laurence Fox has swapped ITV for GB News and become an ‘anti-woke’ outrage merchant. How did he get here, asks Katie Rosseinsky?

[29 September 2023 01:00 · Eleanor Noyce]

Who is Dan Wootton? GB News host facing sex pic scandal suspended over Laurence Fox interview

GB News presenter Dan Wootton has been suspended by the channel and sacked by MailOnline after an interview with Laurence Fox faced widespread criticism.

The 40-year-old host was taken off air on Wednesday after failing to stop Fox’s ‘misogynist’ outburst and laughing at derogatory comments about Ava Evans, a political correspondent for online news site, Joe. GB News, which has billed itself as the “home of free speech”, has also banned Fox from further appearances and promised a “full investigation”.

Wooton’s woes deepened on Thursday when the Mail website said it had terminated his column, which had already been put on hold following separate allegations against him.

[29 September 2023 02:00 · Eleanor Noyce]

ICYMI: Media regulator Ofcom investigating Dan Wootton’s GB News show

The media regulator has launched an official investigation into an episode of GB News show Dan Wootton Tonight following the presenter having his contract terminated by MailOnline where he wrote a column.

Ofcom received around 7,300 complaints about the Tuesday programme of Wootton’s show which saw guest Laurence Fox make a series of personal remarks about a female journalist.

It is investigating under Rule 2.3 of the Broadcasting Code which states when “applying generally accepted standards broadcasters must ensure that material which may cause offence is justified by the context”.

[29 September 2023 03:00 · Eleanor Noyce]

Voices: The cesspit of anti-woke, anti-science conspiracy theories that is GB News

I see Laurence Fox is in the news again. “Fox News”, you might say.

As one of the repertory company of dual-purpose pundits and presenters in the alt-right echo chamber that is GB News, the former moderately successful actor went off on a rant on the Dan Wooton Show about a perfectly decent journalist, Ava Evans.

Both Fox and Wootton have since been suspended by the channel, which said it would be investigating Fox’s comments – which came after Evans, a correspondent with PoliticsJoe, said on TalkTV that “men should be frightened to touch women in a way they are not comfortable with”.

The misogynistic incident involving Laurence Fox and Dan Wootton – and the resulting suspensions – will not surprise anybody who is familiar with the channel, writes Sean O’Grady:

[29 September 2023 04:00 · Eleanor Noyce]

LBC’s Nick Ferrari sends message to Laurence Fox over Ava Evans rant: ‘Ofcom will be sharpening their teeth’

LBC’s Nick Ferrari has sent a message to Laurence Fox over his “vile” Ava Evans rant.

The radio presenter said that Evans began her career as a researcher on his show and said she is “a far better broadcaster” than Fox “will ever be”.

Ferrari then went on to suggest that Ofcom are likely “sharpening their teeth” and could come down hard on GB News.

“Don’t let them suggest that they are being censored, these are repugnant, antediluvian views that have no place on any broadcast channel,” he said, speaking about Fox’s outburst, which was also described as “vile” by MP Stephen Flynn.

[29 September 2023 05:00 · Eleanor Noyce]

MPs who host shows on GB News accused of ‘accepting’ Laurence Fox’s ‘vile’ comments about journalist Ava Evans

Journalist Ava Evans has claimed that MPs who present GB News and have not spoken out against Laurence Fox’s “vile” comments about her are “accepting” of them.

Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid asked Ms Evans if it is appropriate for Conservative MPs to appear on a channel that has broadcast “this content”.

Ms Evans said the fact that some MPs who present on GB News have not spoken out against what was said by Fox and fellow presenter Dan Wootten implies “they have accepted it”.