Jermaine Jenas, a former Premier League player and host of Match Of The Day and One Show, is seeking legal counsel following his dismissal from the BBC. The termination of his contract was based on allegations that he sent unwanted messages to a female coworker. Jenas expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation, noting that there are “two sides to every story”, and has resolved to take legal action.
The current setback follows a series of recent controversies at the BBC, including a child abuse scandal involving Huw Edwards and claims of bullying on Strictly Come Dancing. Jenas, 41, a married man of 13 years, has been excluded from broadcasting on radio station talkSPORT for the immediate future.
Following his removal from the BBC’s presenting roster, Jenas began co-hosting a drive-time show on talkSPORT, alongside fellow ex-footballer, Jermaine Pennant. However, talkSPORT has announced that there would be no further broadcasts featuring Jenas in the near future.
On the evening of his dismissal, Jenas chose not to discuss the matter during a live airing. He quickly exited the News UK building post-show, driving away in a car. In a succinct interview with talkSPORT News, Jenas briefed: “I can’t really speak on it… I’m going to have to let the lawyers handle it.” He hinted at his discontent with the situation, but didn’t comment on the specifics of the accusations brought against him or his reaction to the complaint. As accusations continue to surface, Jenas remains reticent about the amount of colleagues involved and the timeline of his dismissal notification by the BBC.
Jenas, the former sports presenter, refrained from responding to inquiries about potential legal proceedings, his future in sports broadcasting and whether he owed any apologies for leaving BBC. He emphasised his reliance on a team of lawyers handling the current circumstances. Jenas’ exit from BBC was confirmed by a spokesperson from the organization. He was let go following concerns raised around his digital communications, including texts, in the past few weeks.
Confirming the scenario, BBC’s Chief Content Officer, Charlotte Moore, declined to disclose any further information after PA news agency’s enquiry post her BBC panel appearance at Edinburgh TV Festival. As per official data released last year, Jenas was paid between £190,000 and £194,999 for his contributions to the FA Cup, Match Of The Day, and the World Cup on BBC. However, information on his wage for ‘The One Show’ remains undisclosed as BBC Studios produces the show.
Despite sporadically featuring on TNT Sports’ football broadcast, Jenas is not expected to be seen on the channel in the coming weeks. It’s clear that TNT Sports was in the dark about Jenas’ current work status with BBC. Having joined ‘The One Show’ as a temporary co-host after Matt Baker left in 2020, Jenas was promoted to be a regular the next year.
Jenas, father of four children, has been a consistent commentator on sports programmes like Match Of The Day and Match Of The Day 2, as well as a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live. Many saw him as a potential successor to host Match Of The Day in Gary Lineker’s absence, an expectation further kindled when he was conspicuously missing from the new season’s first episode on Saturday.
Jenas, who also presents TNT Sports’ Formula E race coverage, was honoured with an ‘ally of the year’ award by the Women’s Football Awards in May. Over his footballing career, Jenas played for England, along with Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers.
Jermaine Jenas is no longer represented by his former agency, MC Saatchi, with his online profile returning a “page not found” message. A representative from talkSPORT mentioned that when a news story featuring a range of serious claims about Jenas broke out, he was about to conduct a single-time hosting session on talkSPORT Drive. The decision was taken collectively, between Jenas and talkSPORT, that he should carry on with his hosting duty. Furthermore, the representative stated that it was solely up to Jeras, as a private citizen, to respond to these allegations as he sees fit as the story unfolds.