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What bullying row? How Naga Munchetty scored hefty pay rise that dwarves BBC Breakfast co-host Charlie Stayt's despite toxic conduct probe

What bullying row? How Naga Munchetty scored hefty pay rise that dwarves BBC Breakfast co-host Charlie Stayt's despite toxic conduct probe

Daily Mail​15-07-2025
Naga Munchetty received a hefty pay rise from BBC bosses despite being reprimanded after she was accused of bullying and hauled into a meeting over a sex jibe.
The BBC Breakfast presenter and 5 Live host, 50, had been spoken to by execs after she made a sex jibe during an ad break while hosting the radio show.
She is believed to have used a crude slang term for a sex act and reportedly asked a colleague if they had ever done it.
It was also revealed how Naga was also spoken to after a junior staffer accused the journalist of bullying them.
However, despite the bullying and toxic row bringing a dark cloud over BBC Breakfast, it's been revealed Naga received a pay rise.
New figures released by the broadcaster today show the presenter was awarded a £10,000 increase in her annual salary.
It now takes her pay packet to an eye-watering £355,000 - almost double that of her co-host Charlie Stayt.
Charlie, 63, has remained in the £190,000 bracket as tensions between the pair are said to be 'rife'.
Naga hosts BBC Breakfast on Thursdays to Saturdays with Charlie, while Jon Kay and Sally Nugent anchor the programme from the start of the week.
BBC Breakfast's editor Richard Frediani reportedly took an extended period of leave, after an internal review of bullying and misconduct allegations was opened into the show.
It was previously claimed that the show's staff are feeling increasingly 'uneasy' around Frediani, with the former Head of ITV News accused of 'shaking' a female editor while working on the show.
Meanwhile, the Mail told how Naga has been holding discussions with Sky News and radio station LBC in an apparent bid to leave the corporation, industry sources have revealed.
In a surprise move, the presenter held talks with both broadcasters in what appears to be an attempt to escape the toxic atmosphere on the programme she co-hosts three days a week with Charlie Stayt.
However, sources say the talks broke down recently, with some bosses at the networks unsure about 50-year-old Ms Munchetty's 'tough ways' and deciding against continuing negotiations.
However, sources say the talks broke down recently, with some bosses at the networks unsure about 50-year-old Ms Munchetty's 'tough ways' and deciding against continuing negotiations.
One said: 'There were quite a few discussions with both Sky and LBC but then it was decided by both that they wouldn't go any further.
'She is quite sharp and it is perhaps not what they were looking for, so it all kind of fell apart.
'Rightly or wrongly, Naga has a reputation for being quite tough and difficult at times – they didn't like that.'
BBC Breakfast bosses were reportedly forced to apologise to Geri Halliwell-Horner after a very awkward interview with Naga and Charlie.
During the awkward resurfaced interview from October 2023, Naga, caught the Spice Girl off guard as she asked: 'Do you not like being interviewed?'
After the segment ended, Geri, 52, allegedly said she did not want to appear on the show opposite the pair ever again.
The BBC's annual report on its top earners revealed Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball have topped the BBC rich list again this year, as the corporation acknowledged 'challenges' with its workplace culture.
Match of the Day host Lineker left his job in May after being accused of posting an antisemitic trope on social media.
The 64-year-old's £1.35 million salary made him the Beeb's highest-paid star over the last year, according to the BBC's annual report for 2024/25.
Radio 2 host Zoe Ball is the highest-paid woman at the corporation on £519,000, despite working part-time.
She left her full-time position as the station's breakfast show host in December. Her replacement Scott Mills is on £359,999.
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