Kiwi journalist Dan Wootton sacked by Daily Mail following GB News scandal

Kiwi journalist Dan Wootton has had his contract with the Daily Mail UK terminated amid an on-air sexism scandal. Photo / Getty Images

Dan Wootton, the New Zealand-born GB News presenter suspended over an on-air misogyny scandal, has now had his contract with MailOnline terminated as Ofcom launches an investigation.

The regulator said it had received around 7,300 complaints after a series of offensive and sexist comments about female journalist Ava Evans were broadcast on Tuesday night on Wootton’s show.

Wootton had written a regular column for the Daily Mail’s website since 2021, but it was paused in August pending an investigation into allegations that he offered colleagues money for sexual material while using a pseudonym.

A spokesman for DMG Media said on Thursday: “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.”

In July, Wootton was accused of contacting colleagues, under the name “Martin Branning”, and offering them money in exchange for explicit sexual content.

Wootton said any “criminal allegations” were “simply untrue” but added that he had made “errors of judgment” in the past when addressing the claims.

His contract termination from MailOnline comes 24 hours after he was suspended from his presenting duties on Dan Wootton Tonight on GB News, along with his guest Laurence Fox, after his show broadcast offensive and sexist comments about female journalist Ava Evans.

Dan Wootton could be seen laughing after Laurence Fox made the offensive comment. Photo / Twitter

Fox said: “Show me a single self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman ever – ever – who wasn’t an incel,” before ending with: “Who would want to shag that?”

Wootton laughed throughout and made no attempt to censure Fox.

He then apologised to Evans on social media before Fox shared screenshots of a text conversation in which Wootton sent a series of laughing face emojis and joked about producers “freaking out”.

Earlier on Thursday, Caroline Nokes, the Conservative MP and chairman of the women and equalities committee, said GB News should be taken off air following the misogyny scandal.

Fox and Wootton are leading voices on the channel, which was launched two years ago and sees itself as a “disruptor” of the media market.

It is already under scrutiny by Ofcom over its impartiality, and earlier this month was found to have breached broadcasting guidelines for the third time.

Six further impartiality investigation cases are pending, including four that concern whether Tory MPs should be employed by the channel.

Lee Anderson, the Conservative Party’s deputy chairman, and former Cabinet ministers Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and Esther McVey all host shows on GB News.

The channel is co-owned by Sir Paul Marshall, the hedge fund manager, who is in talks to launch a takeover bid for The Telegraph with Ken Griffin, the US billionaire.