Gary Lineker’s long and often controversial run at the BBC has finally come to an end, and despite the official line calling it a “mutual” parting of ways, it’s pretty clear the Corporation had had enough. This follows the outrage over a tweet he shared comparing Jews to rats, which triggered backlash so fierce it left the broadcaster with no choice but to act.
Though he issued a full apology, it did little to calm the storm. This wasn’t a one-off. Lineker’s social media has long been a flashpoint, from calling the October 7 Hamas attack “the Hamas thing” to reposting a clip where Israel was accused of “genocidal killing.” These kinds of posts, especially while he was still the BBC’s top-earning presenter, pushed the limits of what the public expected from someone tied to an organisation meant to stay neutral, reported GB News.
