Sun columnist and former TalkSport presenter Jon Gaunt is taking legal action after the station sacked him for calling a guest on his show a “Nazi”.
He told the Independent:
“When I found out I was shocked, amazed, bemused. I thought what would happen is that they’d say, ‘We are now going to start a disciplinary process’, at which I would have been allowed to have trade union representation, a colleague or my legal adviser. They just said ‘We are terminating your contract’.”
Revealing his reaction to the news that he had initially been suspended over is comments to a councillor who supported a ban on smokers being foster parents he said:
“I laughed. I said ‘Don’t suspend me.’ Cynically I said, ‘It will bring more heat to the story, reprimand me, fine me, do whatever you want to do, there’s no need for an investigation, listen to the tape’,” says the presenter.
“They ignored me. I’m bemused. I’ve got the biggest audience that they’ve ever had in that slot, I make them an awful lot of money in their competitions. I’ve got quite a high profile in the media. I’ve never been reprimanded, let alone sent a letter about my behaviour. I have been positively encouraged to be Gaunty.”
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