Dan Wootton Temporarily Off GB News Following Incident

Dan Wootton, the television host, was temporarily sidelined by the conservative-leaning channel GB News in September following an incident involving a sexist outburst by Laurence Fox, who was also suspended and later terminated. The incident occurred live on Wootton's show, where Fox made derogatory remarks about journalist Ava Evans, while Wootton appeared to react with smiles and laughter.

In the offending segment, Fox disparagingly questioned, “Who would want to shag that?” and stated, “No self-respecting man [would] climb into bed” with Evans. Following this, "Dan Wootton Tonight" was removed from the broadcasting schedule, and an internal inquiry was initiated.

Simultaneously, Wootton faced a separate probe by MailOnline, leading to his dismissal from the platform.

On a platform formerly known as Twitter, GB News’ programming chief, Ben Briscoe, announced that Patrick Christys would fill the 9pm to 11pm time slot, effectively replacing Wootton’s program with "Patrick Christys Tonight, until further notice. I am committed to giving it my best," he stated.

Briscoe, in a statement to the Express, praised Christys: “Patrick is an exemplary representative for our audience. He's genuine, engaging, approachable, and a sharp interviewer capable of holding anyone accountable.”

Wootton Disputes Accusations

These events mark a contentious period for Wootton, a journalist and presenter originally from New Zealand. In July, the Byline Times released a series of allegations against him, citing former colleagues at The Sun, where Wootton worked from 2014 to 2012, and his ex-partner Alex Truby.

These allegations emerged from a three-year probe into Wootton’s supposed actions over the last decade, including accusations of using a false identity to solicit sexual content from men. Wootton has denied these claims, stating on GB News that he was the subject of a defamation campaign.

“These recent days, I have been at the center of a defamation effort by hidden adversaries with ulterior motives,” he claimed at the time.

However, News UK, the publisher of The Sun, and DMG Media, the parent company of MailOnline, initiated investigations into Wootton’s actions. Additionally, following the uproar over Fox’s remarks, broadcasting regulator Ofcom announced it would conduct its investigation into Wootton’s on-air behavior after receiving numerous viewer complaints.