GB News has received more than 8,800 complaints over a Dan Wootton Tonight episode in which Laurence Fox made comments about female journalist Ava Evans, Ofcom has said.
Actor-turned-politician Fox has undergone a disciplinary hearing with the channel after he made a series of personal remarks about political correspondent Ms Evans live on the show last Tuesday.
He described Ms Evans as a “little woman”, before making a string of comments including: “Who would want to sh*g that?”
Wootton was heard laughing during the exchange.
Fox and presenter Wootton - who have both since apologised, with Wootton saying he “regretted” the interview - were suspended by GB News amid an internal investigation and a probe by Ofcom.
On Wednesday, the media watchdog said it had received a total of 8,846 complaints about the episode.
It comes after GB News boss Angelos Frangopoulos said he was “appalled” by the remarks, adding that they were not in keeping with the values of the channel.
Since the broadcast, MailOnline announced it had terminated its contract with Wootton, who was a columnist for the site.
Ms Evans, the political correspondent for online news site Joe, said she was “really hurt” by Fox’s comments, which have been described as “unacceptable, unjustifiable and indefensible”.
“I’m shocked about by it, I’m shocked that it went out,” she told Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine show last week.
“This is the sort of talk that you worry that men have about you when you’re not in the room. There is always sort of a worry in the back of your mind which is: ‘Are people actually interested in what I’m saying or what I’m doing?’
“Or are they just looking at me…physically?
“I’d much rather be judged or asked about my work… than have people talking about my body.”
The incident has been met with widespread outrage, from journalists, politicans and members of the public. Christian Calgie, senior political correspondent at the Daily Express, branded Fox’s comments “utterly vile” while The Guardian’s political editor Pippa Crerar called them “very grim” and “a new low”.
LBC presenter Iain Dale called Fox a “vile, despicable misogynist” while journalist and activist Owen Jones described his behaviour as “nauseating unapologetic misogyny”.
Conservative MP Philip Davies, who hosts a show on GB News, said: “Laurence Fox’s disgraceful remarks were completely unacceptable, unjustifiable and indefensible.”
