One Show and Match of the Day star Jermaine Jenas sacked by BBC after complaints of ‘unsolicited messages’

Presenter and former England footballer Jermaine Jenas has been sacked by the BBC following allegations of inappropriate workplace behaviour.

The One Show host, who had been tipped to one day replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day, was dropped earlier this week following an investigation.

A BBC spokesperson said only: “We can confirm that Jermaine Jenas is no longer part of our presenting line up.”

But BBC News reported that the 41-year-old’s contract was terminated following allegations involving digital communications such as texts, which were raised with the corporation a few weeks ago.

The complaints related to unsolicited messages to a female member of staff on The One Show, according to The Sun.

A spokesperson for Jenas told the newspaper: “Right now I can’t talk about it. I can tell you I’m not happy – there are two sides to every story – and I’m going to be speaking with my lawyers on the issue.”

The father-of-four also hosted some of the corporation’s Euros 2024 coverage, but has not presented The One Show since July and took a two-week break from duties during the Olympics. Most recently he was on commentary for the return of the Premier League.

As the news broke on Thursday, Jenas was presenting a new show on radio station TalkSport.

A TalkSport spokesperson said: “We were made aware of a breaking news story involving Jermaine Jenas as he went on air for a one-off presenting slot on talkSPORT Drive. We made a decision – with Jermaine – that he should continue to present the show.

“Given the array of serious allegations being reported as the story continues to evolve, it’s for Jermaine as a private individual to address them in the way he chooses. There are no plans for Jermaine to broadcast as a presenter on TalkSport in the immediate future.”

Jenas later spoke to TalkSport News, repeating that he was not happy with the situation and that “there’s two sides to every story”.

His departure comes at a difficult time for the BBC, which is still reeling from the Huw Edwards scandal and the ongoing accusations of abuse on the set of Strictly Come Dancing.

Jenas, who recently won a women’s football ally of the year award, earned £190,000 – £194,999 for his work on the FA Cup, Match of the Day and the World Cup.

Last September, the ex-Spurs and Newcastle midfielder was forced to apologise on X/Twitter after branding a referee a “complete s***house” during an Arsenal match.

In the case of Edwards, the 62-year-old news anchor, previously the BBC’s highest-paid journalist, pleaded guilty in July to three charges of making indecent photographs of children, after he was sent 41 illegal images by a convicted paedophile, with seven being of the most serious type.

After his guilty plea, the BBC said it had been made aware in confidence in November that he had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences and released on bail while police investigations continued.

Meanwhile, the BBC has yet to publish findings from an internal investigation into workplace bullying on the set of Strictly.

Sherlock actor Amanda Abbington, who lifted the lid on the alleged abuse with allegations against dancer Giovanni Pernice, claimed there are “50 hours” of rehearsal footage that left BBC producers “horrified”. Pernice has denied all claims.

Meanwhile, another professional, Graziano Di Prima, was sacked from the show earlier this month after it was alleged that footage existed of him physically and verbally abusing Zara McDermott in training during last year’s series. Di Prima has said he “deeply regrets” the incident.

BBC director general Tim Davie made a statement apologising for the alleged mistreatment of contestants on the show, saying that the corporation “will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour”.

In response to the fallout, the BBC also introduced new welfare policies to protect the participants, including the use of chaperones during rehearsals.

The BBC had been hoping for a period of stability in the wake of both sagas, however scrutiny on the corporation will now intensify in the wake of Jenas’ departure.

Jenas moved into television punditry early, when he was unable to recover from a knee injury, and has consistently worked across a number of media outlets, as well as the BBC, including TNT Sports.

Jenas made his footballing debut at age 17 for Nottingham Forest and went on to play for Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers during his career.

During his playing career, Jenas started his career at Nottingham Forest where he made 29 appearances before moving to Newcastle in 2002.

On Tyneside, he played 110 times, scoring nine goals before switching the north east for northeast London and joining Tottenham. At Spurs, he made 155 appearances, from 2005 until 2013, but injuries affected his career, and he was forced to retire in 2014.

The Independent has approached Jenas for comment.