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Top BBC newsreader offers to take salary cut after ‘offensive joke’ about gender pay gap

Presenter set to give up thousands of pounds

One of the BBC’s top newsreaders has volunteered to take a massive pay cut in the wake of the gender pay gap debate.

Today host John Humphrys – who has worked at the BBC since 1966 – confirmed he’s been in talks with his bosses about reducing his income for a third time.

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“It’s true I’ve been talking to the bosses about taking another cut,” John told Daily Mail.

“We haven’t mentioned any figures. I volunteered. That seems to be entirely fair and reasonable.”

John’s pay cut is the latest development in the pay gap debate after it was revealed last year that two thirds of BBC stars earning more than £150,000 per year are male.

John’s salary was revealed to be between £600,000 and £649,000 for presenting Today on Radio 4 and Mastermind on BBC2.

His Today co-host, Sarah Montague, was revealed to earn around £150,000, and has been vocal about the discrepancies, calling them “professionally damaging.”

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The Daily Mail’s source at the BBC claims John’s decision is “setting a moral example for the whole of the BBC.”

John’s confirmation of talks about his salary came after he drew ire for leaked comments made about the resignation of China editor Carrie Gracie.

Carrie cited pay inequality with male colleagues as her reason for quitting.

In an off-air recording, John was accused of making quips about unequal pay to North America editor Jon Sopel, including: “How much of your salary are you prepared to hand over to Carrie Gracie to keep her?”

He also referred to “other men who are earning too much.”

John also joked about the amount he could give up while still earning more than his colleagues.

He later defended himself to ITV News, saying the leaked comments had been “jokey” and part of a “mutual mickey-taking” session with an old friend.

John said: “It had absolutely nothing to do with my views on women’s pay, which I repeat and have said consistently should be equal – equal pay for equal work, absolutely no question of that.

“If people took a different message from it, it could only be because they didn’t appreciate that it was a joke.”

ED! has contacted the BBC for comment.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor