Star BBC presenter Gary Lineker is set to depart the British public broadcaster this week after sharing an antisemitic video on social media.
Lineker, a former footballer who is the BBC’s highest-paid presenter and was slated to lead its World Cup coverage in 2026, shared a video last week about Zionism featuring an illustration of a rat, historically a common antisemitic trope, sparking a storm of criticism.
The 64 year old said in a statement Monday he had missed the rat emoji in the clip and “would never consciously repost anything antisemitic,” but nevertheless agreed to resign “as the responsible course of action.”
Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, said Monday that Lineker had “acknowledged the mistake he made” but had agreed to “step back from further presenting after this season.”
Lineker has long been a vocal advocate for Palestinians on social media, while Israel’s military offensive in Gaza triggered a humanitarian crisis. “People say it’s a complex issue, but I don’t think it is,” he told the Telegraph last week. “It’s inevitable that the Israeli occupation was going to cause massive problems, and I just feel for the Palestinians.”
The former English captain has landed in hot water over his social media posts before, namely when he compared British asylum policies to those of 1930s Nazi Germany, leading to his temporary suspension from the BBC. He defended the comparison and was eventually reinstated.
He had already announced in November his departure from football highlights program Match of the Day, which he has hosted since 1999. His final episode will air this Sunday.
Until the self-inflicted antisemitism furor scuppered his plans, Lineker had been expected to stay on at the BBC to host some high-profile domestic football matches and next year’s World Cup in North America.
The post BBC’s Gary Lineker departs after sharing post about Zionism featuring a rat appeared first on Politico.
