Naga Munchetty is reportedly weighing up her future at the BBC, despite receiving a £10,000 pay rise and remaining one of the broadcaster’s top-paid stars.
The BBC Breakfast host, 50, is said to be considering a move to rival station LBC after a series of internal controversies, including claims she made an inappropriate comment during an ad break and growing tensions behind the scenes at BBC Breakfast.
According to reports, the Radio 5 Live presenter was recently spoken to by senior BBC figures after allegedly making a sex-related remark during her radio show. It’s claimed she used a crude slang term and asked a colleague whether they had ever performed the act in question.
Her conduct has come under further scrutiny amid ongoing allegations of bullying and misconduct within the BBC Breakfast team.
Programme editor Richard Frediani is reported to have taken an extended leave of absence following the launch of an internal review.
While no formal allegations have been made against Munchetty, sources suggest she has become increasingly unsettled with her teams said to have held talks with LBC about potential future roles.
A source told The Sun: “The fallout of Richard Frediani’s investigation created a stark ‘him or her’ narrative on Breakfast with Naga flung to the front line.
“The fact is she loves the BBC and her job but there’s only so much external noise anyone is prepared to take. LBC would suit her well as the focus remains on news-led broadcasting, they take a hard line and there’s far less of the fluffy nonsense involved in working at the BBC.
“Her team last week renewed historic talks with the Global radio station to see if there could be any work for her there.”
Previously the BBC told The Standard in a statement amid the allegations: “While we do not comment on individual cases, we take all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously.”
The Standard has contacted BBC and Naga Munchetty’s team for comment.
BBC salary figures released on Tuesday revealed that Munchetty’s pay had risen by £10,000, bringing her annual earnings to £355,000, nearly double that of her co-presenter Charlie Stayt, who remains in the £190,000 bracket.
The pair present BBC Breakfast together from Thursday to Saturday, with Jon Kay and Sally Nugent anchoring the start of the week.
Behind the scenes, relations between the presenters are said to be strained, with insiders describing tension on set.
The broadcaster is currently embroiled in a probe into the “bullying” culture at the flagship morning show, having reportedly raised concerns about outspoken editor Richard Frediani.
It was revealed editor Frediani has stepped away from his role for an extended period following a series of bullying allegations.
Munchetty and her co-host Charlie Stayt are believed to have a strained relationship with Frediani.
Frediani took a leave of absence after staff reportedly submitted multiple complaints against him.
He was accused of shouting, swearing and creating an intimidating working environment, sources told Deadline. The allegations date back further than his time at the BBC.
Former colleagues at ITN have also reportedly described Frediani as a “bully,” echoing similar claims of inappropriate workplace behaviour.
In April, it was claimed Muchetty was “barely speaking” to Frediani after allegedly accusing him of bullying and misconduct.
A source told The Times: "Fredi has no relationship with Charlie [Stayt] and Naga, which is weird when they are half of his frontline presenting roster.
“It appears he doesn't like them and they don't like him - for whatever reason, they don't talk to each other."
