MATCH of The Day and One Show star Jermaine Jenas has been sacked from the BBC after women complained about his behavior in the workplace.
The One Show co-star has raised concerns about the alleged flirtatious messages and others have come forward amid an investigation into digital communications said to have been sent by the married ex-footballer, 41.
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Jermaine Jenas has been sacked from the BBC
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Jermaine Jenas was filmed getting into the car this evening Credit: Peter Jordan
His axing comes as the BBC is reeling from scandals involving Strictly and journalist Huw Edwards.
The decision to suspend him comes after digital communications – possibly WhatsApp and/or Instagram DMs – were reportedly discovered during an investigation.
It was led by the BBC’s new sports director, Alex Kay-Jelski.
Jenas’ sacking comes weeks after he was named Ally of the Year at the Women’s Football Awards.
READ MORE ABOUT JERMAINE JENAS
He is understood to have told his wife of 13 years, Ellie, about the claims, which he is said to have left him “deeply unhappy”.
It is understood that he stands by him.
These claims are the last thing the BBC needs.. it shocked and shook everyone
TV source
A source said last night: “This latest incident of alleged workplace misconduct is the last thing the BBC needed. He shocked and shook everyone.
“The first complaint was raised after Jermaine flirtatiously texted a member of staff at The One Show, and she expressed her suspicions in an official capacity.
“The BBC knows it cannot now ignore concerns or complaints so following urgent routine inquiries the decision has been taken to remove him from the program and terminate his contract.
Jermaine Jenas seen for first time since BBC sacked over ‘spam’
“They acted quickly and decisively.
“In light of the Huw Edwards and Strictly Come Dancing scandals — although, to be clear, Jermaine’s behavior is nothing like Huw’s and there is no indication of wrongdoing — the BBC cannot be seen as being slow to take action.
“In this case, Jermaine was the culprit and he was fired.
“He hasn’t told his side of the story yet, but he has privately let his friends know that he is unhappy.
‘Shrouded in a veil of secrecy’
“The presenters, cast and crew have been asked not to contact him while legal matters are pending – as a result there are a lot of Chinese whispers circulating.
“Even top talents like Alex Jones, Alan Shearer or Gary Lineker didn’t know about this. It was shrouded in secrecy.”
The Sun broke the story on our website yesterday afternoon — moments before Jenas started his talkSPORT Drive show alongside former player Jermaine Pennant.
Within four minutes of the news breaking, Mr Kay-Jelski emailed BBC staff: “Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know that Jermaine Jenas no longer works for the BBC.”
Last night talkSPORT said there were no plans for the star to broadcast “in the near future”.
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A One Show co-star has expressed concern over alleged flirtatious messages Credit: BBC
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Jermaine and wife Ellie, who is said to be standing by his sideCredit: Instagram
Jenas is understood to have instructed lawyers and is devastated by the development — not least the loss of his £190,000 to £194,999 annual salary for working on the FA Cup, Match of the Day and World Cup.
His work on The One Show is for BBC Studios, so that salary is not in the public domain.
The BBC was removing all traces of Jenas from its websites.
A giant poster featuring him alongside BBC Sport colleagues Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Alex Scott has been removed from Manchester’s Media City headquarters.
And Jenas was no longer listed for match of the day in the TV industry database IMDb.
The alleged complaints came to light after the Euros where he was a pundit and commentator.
He was last on air covering Spain’s semi-final victory over France on July 9.
Earlier this month he, Ellie and one of his four children were on holiday in Marbella.
Jenas last presented The One Show alongside Alex Jones on July 22.
He last appeared on the Match of the Day forum on May 4.
He was seen by many as the natural successor to replace Lineker as host of MOTD, but he was not at the new season opener on Saturday.
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A huge poster featuring Jenas alongside BBC Sport colleagues Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Alex Scott has been removed from Manchester’s Media City HQ. Credits: Zenpix
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Jenas has been accused of sending flirtatious messages to a member of staff on The One ShowCredit: BBC
But he was on air on Saturday – commentating for TNT Sports on Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Ipswich.
And on August 2, he took to Instagram after the climax of the Formula E season, for which he was the lead presenter alongside Nicki Shields.
Jenas has only posted three pictures on Instagram since May, compared to 73 last year.
He also parted ways with his longtime agents, MC Saatchi. He no longer appears on their website.
In an interview with The Sun in October 2021, Jenas said he would like to replace Lineker as Match Of The Day presenter.
He said: “It’s the biggest job in television, and if I ever got the chance, of course I’d say yes.”
The following month, Lineker told The Sun: “Jermaine is my natural successor — I think he’s doing well.”
The crisis is the latest to hit the BBC amid an investigation into the behavior of Strictly Come Dancing stars. These findings were allegedly two weeks late.
It also follows the Huw Edwards scandal which saw the disgraced journalist suspended by the BBC before he later resigned.
I can tell you that I am not happy.. every story has two sides
Jermaine Jenas
In February, the BBC apologized for its handling of the situation, admitting that the original complaint had not “escalated quickly enough”.
As a result of the fall, the corporation confirmed it had improved its non-redundant complaints processes and would make better use of technology to ensure the “whole picture in all cases”.
This month, the BBC’s Board of Governors announced an independent review of its workplace culture.
The BBC said last night: “We can confirm that Jermaine Jenas is no longer part of the presenting line-up.”
Jenas left his talkSPORT show at 7 p.m.
He said through a spokesman: “I can’t talk about it at the moment. I can tell you I’m not happy.
“There are two sides to every story and I will discuss that with my lawyers.”
talkSPORT said: “We were made aware of the latest story involving Jermaine as he went on air.
“We made a decision – with Jermaine – that he should continue to present the show.
“Given the series of serious allegations being reported as the story continues to develop, it is up to Jermaine as a private person to handle them in the way he chooses.
“There are no plans for Jermaine to appear as a presenter on talkSPORT in the near future.”
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Jermaine in the professional squad for the FA Cup match with Gary Lineker and Wayne Rooney Credit: Instagram
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Portrait of Jermaine missing from Media City, SalfordCredit: Zenpix
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Jenas playing for Tottenham Hotspur in 2005. Credit: Getty
The face of football
JERMAINE Jenas made his debut for Nottingham Forest in 2001, aged just 17.
The midfielder played for Newcastle United, Tottenham, Aston Villa and QPR, scoring a career total of 39 goals in 341 league appearances.
He won the League Cup with Spurs in 2008.
Jenas also made 21 appearances for the senior England team, scoring once.
He was 19 years old when he played for the first game in February 2003 and was named PFA Young Player of the Year that season.
Injuries slowed his progress, and he officially announced his retirement in 2016 on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He became a pundit, first for ITV Sport before joining BT Sport and Match Of The Day.
In 2020, Jenas started co-hosting The One Show, and a year later he became one of its permanent hosts.
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