Laurence Fox has apologised to Ava Evans, the journalist he insulted on GB News, for his “demeaning” comments.
The actor-turned-politician was widely criticised for remarks made about Ms Evans, a political correspondent with online outlet Joe, in a discussion on Dan Wootton Tonight on Tuesday, which included asking, “Who would want to shag that?”
Both Fox and Wootton have been suspended by GB News amid an internal investigation and a probe by regulator Ofcom, who received around 7,300 complaints about the episode.
Speaking in a video on X, formerly Twitter, Fox said he had been angry with Ms Evans over comments she made on a BBC debate around male suicide, but apologised for “demeaning her”. He said he expected to be sacked.
He said: “If I was going to be sensible and I could replay it, I would say: ‘Any self-respecting man in 2023 would probably be well advised to avoid a woman who possessed that world view because she would probably cause him nothing but harm’.
“But what I did say was, you know, ‘I wouldn’t shag that’, and all that sort of stuff, which is not right. It’s demeaning to her, to Ava, so I’m sorry for demeaning you in that way.
"However angry I am with you still for doing that, and it demeans me because it’s not representative of who I am."
He added: “I know I’m going to get sacked tomorrow. I’m saying this stuff to clear my own conscience."
GB News anchor Dan Wootton previously apologised “unreservedly" for a “very unfortunate lapse in judgement" in a follow-up post to an earlier apology, which suggested he should have apologised for what was said during the broadcast.
MailOnline, where Wootton had worked as a columnist, said on Thursday afternoon that he had been sacked from the role.
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.”
Ms Evans previously said she was “really hurt” by Fox’s comments, which have been described as “unacceptable, unjustifiable and indefensible”.
She added she had received an apology from the broadcaster.
