Reggie Yates steps down from Top of the Pops over ‘fat Jewish’ comment

Presenter Reggie Yates will not host this year's Top of the Pops holiday specials after making what he described as “ill-considered remarks” in a podcast interview.

Yates apologised for using the phrase “fat Jewish guy” in a podcast recorded last month but has now tweeted to say he has “taken the decision to step down” from hosting the music shows, which were due to air on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

During an episode of the Halfcast Podcast, hosted by DJ Chuckie Lothian, Yates commented about artists who chose to remain independently managed, saying: “The thing that makes it great about this new generation of artists is that they ain’t signing to majors. They’re independent, they’re not managed by some random fat Jewish guy from north west London, they’re managed by their brethren.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Yates said in a statement after the show was released on SoundCloud: “I'm hugely apologetic for this flippant comment.”

“It was not my intention to offend or reinforce stereotypes, but I'm aware that this could have been interpreted that way and for that I am also deeply sorry.”

“What I was actually trying to say was how proud I am of the new generation of artists making their success independently on their own terms and without giving away control or their rights to major labels.”

His remark “sparked an immediate backlash, with online commenters accusing Yates, 34, of anti-Semitism,” says the Evening Standard.

In a post on the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAA) website, a statement on Yates's comments read: “Clearly someone who sees fit to voice such views and only apologises when caught out should not be presented by the BBC as a role model for young people.”

Gideon Falter, chairman of the CAA, told the Daily Telegraph that Yates' comments “evoke the ugly stereotype of Jews as untrustworthy and money-grabbing”.

Yates was due to present this year's holiday specials of long-running show Top of the Pops with Fearne Cotton.

A BBC spokesperson said: “We take these issues very seriously and Reggie is in no doubt about the BBC's view of his comments”.