A BBC broadcaster was fired after he posted a racist tweet about the royal baby, the network reported.
BBC radio host Danny Baker tweeted a since-deleted black and white image of a man and a woman holding hands with a baby chimpanzee with the caption, “Royal baby leaves hospital.” The tweet was interpreted as racist commentary on Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle’s African-American heritage.
This is a post by Danny Baker. The royal baby is less than three days old. Danny Baker works for the BBC. In any other field this would be gross misconduct. I await the "not a racist bone in my body" statement from Danny, or a P45 from the BBC. Only 3 days old. pic.twitter.com/jF9iUl4duO
— (Almost) Always Positive ?+ (@NubiBlue) May 9, 2019
Before he was fired, Baker tweeted his “sincere apologies” and chalked it up to an “unthinking gag” that was meant to be a joke “about royals vs circus animals in posh clothes.”
Once again. Sincere apologies for the stupid unthinking gag pic earlier. Was supposed to be joke about Royals vs circus animals in posh clothes but interpreted as about monkeys & race, so rightly deleted. Royal watching not my forte.
Also, guessing it was my turn in the barrel. pic.twitter.com/86cQGbAhDc— Danny Baker (@prodnose) May 8, 2019
A BBC spokesperson told the network that the tweet was “a serious error of judgment.”
“Danny’s a brilliant broadcaster, but will no longer be presenting a weekly show with us,” the spokesperson told BBC.
Baker announced his firing on Twitter, but called the decision a “masterclass of pompous faux-gravity.”
The call to fire me from @bbc5live was a masterclass of pompous faux-gravity. Took a tone that said I actually meant that ridiculous tweet and the BBC must uphold blah blah blah. Literally threw me under the bus. Could hear the suits knees knocking. #Fuckem
— Danny Baker (@prodnose) May 9, 2019
