Dan Wootton’s contract as a columnist for MailOnline has been terminated - a day after he was suspended by GB News over sexist abuse of a female journalist on his show.
The under-fire presenter failed to intervene during Laurence Fox’s vile rant about political correspondent Ava Evans on Tuesday’s Dan Wootton Tonight. Comments made by the actor, who has also since been suspended, included: “Who would want to shag that?”
Media regulator Ofcom has now launched an investigation after receiving 7,300 complaints over the programme.
On Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for DMG Media, the parent company of MailOnline, said: “Following events this week, DMG Media can confirm that Dan Wootton’s freelance column with MailOnline – which had already been paused – has now been terminated, along with his contract.”
Wootton was already suspended from his MailOnline column while the company investigated allegations that he used a fake identity to offer former colleagues money for sexual material – accusations he has strongly denied.
But the events this week forced the decision by MailOnline to drop the 40-year-old anchor man, who reportedly received a lucrative six-figure salary from the two columns he wrote each week.
Wootton must now wait on an internal investigation by GB News into this week’s show as his career hangs in the balance. In a statement on Wednesday, the right-wing news channel said: “GB News has suspended Dan Wootton following comments made on his programme by Laurence Fox last night. This follows our decision earlier today to formally suspend Mr Fox.”
Fox’s comments on the show brought wide criticism for both the actor, and Wootton’s handling of the interview.
Wootton, who did make one belated attempt to defend Ms Evans during the interview, later apologised “unreservedly” for a “very unfortunate lapse in judgment”. He said his on-air grin was the result of “shock and surprise in an off-guard moment”.
But appearing on Good Morning Britain on Thursday, Ms Evans said: “I’m deeply embarrassed by all of it and I’m appreciative for everyone who has very kindly stood up for me, but it’s sort of the other side of it, which is half of the comments are very lovely and supportive, and the other side are very threatening.”
Ms Evans said an apology from GB News suggested the incident “didn’t reflect the rest of the views on the channel”.
She added: “I’m sure that’s true to a degree…but there’s certainly a narrative that is pervasive after 10pm on that channel, that I just don’t think it’s safe for women to watch, consume or be around.”
A host of politicians have since come forward to express their opinion after the situation unfolded on Wednesday.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown said Wootton and Fox “have got to be kept off of the air”, while regulator Ofcom needs to have “more teeth” to deal with issues of standards, while appearing on Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge.
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer at first declined to condemn Fox’s remarks, but later described them as “unacceptable”.
