Nu OriginsThe BBC fired radio Danny Baker Thursday after he posted a tweet that depicted the royal baby as a chimpanzee.
Baker, 61, posted a picture on Wednesday that showed a white couple walking with a chimp. The image was to represent the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. He captioned the post “Royal baby leaves hospital.”
Credit: Twitter
Markle is of mixed race heritage as her mother is Black and father white. Baker was immediately met with backlash for the racist depiction.
The BBC stated that Baker’s tweet “goes against the values we as a station aim to embody”.
It further added: “Danny’s a brilliant broadcaster but will no longer be presenting a weekly show with us.”
Baker deleted the tweet and denied there was any racist intent. He insisted that the mockery would’ve been the same for anyone else.
“Once again. Sincere apologies for the stupid unthinking gag pic earlier,” he wrote. “Was supposed to be joke about Royals vs circus animals in posh clothes but interpreted as about monkeys & race, so rightly deleted. Royal watching not my forte,” he tweeted.
Now Sky at the door.
Would have used same stupid pic for any other Royal birth or Boris Johnson kid or even one of my own. It's a funny image. (Though not of course in that context.) Enormous mistake, for sure. Grotesque.
Anyway, here's to ya Archie, Sorry mate.#Occam #Razor— Danny Baker (@prodnose) May 9, 2019
He further added,”Would have used same stupid pic for any other Royal birth or Boris Johnson kid or even one of my own. It’s a funny image. (Though not of course in that context.) Enormous mistake, for sure. Grotesque.”
However, after his from his Saturday morning 5 Live show, Baker became more defiant. He accused the corporation of throwing him under the bus.
“The call to fire me from @bbc5live was a masterclass of pompous faux-gravity. Took a tone that said I actually meant that ridiculous tweet and the BBC must uphold blah blah blah. Literally threw me under the bus. Could hear the suits knees knocking. #Fuckem,” he tweeted.
The call to fire me from @bbc5live was a masterclass of pompous faux-gravity. Took a tone that said I actually meant that ridiculous tweet and the BBC must uphold blah blah blah. Literally threw me under the bus. Could hear the suits knees knocking. #Fuckem
— Danny Baker (@prodnose) May 9, 2019
The Royal family has not commented on Baker’s tweet or firing. Prince Harry previously called out the press in 2017 when he and Markle began dating, accusing the British media of subjecting her to racism and sexism.
