Naga Munchetty will reportedly be replaced by Sally Nugent at BBC Breakfast after her colleague impressed bosses with her tense take-down of Nigel Farage.
The presenter, 51, announced last week that she is leaving the BBC’s morning flagship show after 17 years and moving to Radio 5 Live in January 2027.
The move comes after Munchetty was reportedly investigated last summer following complaints of bullying over a three-year period.
She was accused of bullying a female colleague and making a “wildly unprofessional” off-air sex joke that left a co-worker “humiliated”, as well as apparently chastising an intern over how they spread Marmite on her toast.
Now, sources have claimed BBC producers have already lined up Munchetty’s replacement at BBC Breakfast, which she currently presents three days a week with Charlie Stayt.
They believe fellow anchor Nugent, 54, will become the “future of the show” after being “thrilled” with her recent clash with Reform leader Farage, according to The Sun.
"Bosses were thrilled with Sally Nugent’s recent interview with Nigel Farage and called down to say they wanted Sally covering more chats of that ilk. That used to be Naga’s domain," a source said.
"It was obviously compared to the Kemi car crash from Naga. Everyone sees Sally as the future of the show and more generally the vibe is all about positivity for a new chapter."
Nugent butted heads with Farage last month as she she questioned him on why he failed to declare a £5 million donation and probed him on how much of the money he had spent.
She also confronted him over political mandates when he demanded a general election, pointing out questions over his own party's alignment.
Farage hit back, insisting “no-one cares” about the £5 million gift and saying the details of how he spent it were "literally none of your business". He also compared the situation to discussing Nugent's and Nick Robinson's BBC salaries.
Bookmakers have also placed Nugent as the clear frontrunner to take Munchetty’s seat, with Ladbrokes placing her at 6/4.
She’s followed by BBC News presenter Luxmy Gopal at 5/2. Gopal has filled in on Breakfast several times and also presents Look North and London News.
Emma Vardy, who has appeared on Breakfast as business presenter, comes in at 3/1. At 9/2 odds is Nina Warhurst, who quit Breakfast for a job as lead presenter on BBC News at One. Sarah Campbell comes in at 6/1.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes told the Express “Naga Munchetty’s exit will leave BBC chiefs turning to a familiar face, if the latest odds are anything to go by - and as things stand it's unsurprisingly Sally Nugent who heads the betting."
Munchetty currently presents BBC Breakfast alongside Charlie Stayt every Thursday to Saturday, having joined the show in 2009.
She was accused last year of being “hard” and “bullying” her coworkers and came under fire for two alleged incidents over a three-year period, according to a number of sources.
In 2022, she allegedly used a crude word for a sex act and asked a colleague if they had done it.
The exact comment hasn’t been reported, however one source claimed it was, “crass, inappropriate and wildly unprofessional,” and added: “The person felt embarrassed.”
Munchetty was also accused of bullying a woman last year, with The Sun claiming she allegedly accused a younger staffer of stealing, without presenting evidence.
“It was humiliating. There was no evidence, no apology. The woman left not long after, completely demoralised,” an insider said.
In a separate alleged incident, Munchetty was accused of telling off an intern over the quality of her Marmite on toast.
In November, BBC bosses reportedly escalated their review into an official investigation into Munchetty’s alleged behaviour after more complaints were made.
It was later claimed the broadcaster assigned watchdogs to keep a close eye on Munchetty in the studios while the probe took place and she was allowed to remain on-air but would have members of production monitoring her.
The investigation has since been “quietly closed”, The Sun reported. The outcome was never made public.
Munchetty also faced backlash recently for making seemingly “rude” comments towards Carol Kirkwood, 63, during the weather presenter’s last day in April.
She made a series of playful remarks that viewers claimed were intended to “embarrass” Kirkwood, including saying that she was “waiting for the countdown” for Kirkwood to go.
After the backlash, sources insisted the pair are “close personal friends”.
Munchetty also ruffled feathers with her joke about Nugent’s new hairstyle, saying: “We're meant to be serious journalists, not trying to look like we're presenting This Morning.”
Munchetty said of her BBC Breakfast departure: “Presenting a flagship programme on 5 Live is an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up. It will take a huge amount of work and require 100% of my focus and energy, and I'm really looking forward to throwing myself into the role.
“Between now and January, I'll continue presenting the two programmes I love. I'm sure there will be plenty of news to cover, and it will very much be business as usual."
