Naga Munchetty reportedly quit BBC Breakfast for another role at the corporation as a “two fingers” to the bosses who investigated her for allegations of bullying and misconduct.
The presenter, 51, announced on Tuesday that she is leaving the BBC’s morning flagship show after 17 years and moving to Radio 5 Live in January 2027.
She will replace Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards to present the morning programme on the radio show, with Burden becoming emotional as she announced their “really sad” exit.
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.
It was later claimed Munchetty was allowed to remain at the show under strict conditions while an official probe took place.
Sources have now claimed her new Radio 5 role was orchestrated as a power move over BBC Breakfast editor Richard Frediani.
Frediani returned to his role after taking an extended period of leave while an investigation into bullying allegations was carried out. Munchetty allegedly raised some of the complaints.
A Radio 5 Live insider told The Mail: “It's brilliant for Naga and she's giving Frediani two fingers.
“It's a big promotion for her and a massive coup for us.”
Some BBC insiders, however, claimed her move to another BBC role is a sign that she still has the corporation’s support.
She has also received another pay rise, meaning her annual salary is now between £360,000 and £364,999. The Standard has contacted the BBC and Munchetty’s representative for comment.
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 Sally Nugent’s new hairstyle, saying: “We're meant to be serious journalists, not trying to look like we're presenting This Morning.”
Additionally, she was said to have been on frosty terms with her co-host Stayt.
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."
Her Radio 5 Live predecessor Burden said she was “really sad” and struggling to “keep it together” as she announced hers and Edwards’ exit on Tuesday.
“I have some news to share, with you, ah, I really need to try and keep it together,” the broadcaster said on their show.
“I said I’d keep it together! We have been working together on 5 Live Breakfast for five years now, and I have been co-presenting this show for over 15 years. And I have loved, I think, almost every single minute of it.
“But we have both been thinking a lot in recent months about what comes next, and I guess how we meet sort of shifting priorities in our lives.”
She revealed they would be stepping down from the Breakfast show in December, but Burden would still be working at 5 Live and is “never leaving this place”.
