John Torode accused of using N-word while singing Kanye West song amid sacking

MasterChef presenter John Torode was allegedly axed by the BBC for allegedly using the N-word twice, according to reports. The Sun claims the TV chef repeated lyrics from rapper Kanye West's hit Gold Digger, which contained the racial slur, at a post-work gaterhing more than six years ago.

The 59-year-old is said to have used the word again while catching up with a close pal on the BBC's show production team. Torode allegeldy used the word a second time when he spoke to a member of the production team, who was a friend and did not take offence. The person who is believed to have raised the complaint on that occasion is understood to have overheard the conversation.

His production member friend believed the star only used the slur as an "example" and "apologised afterwards". The dad-of-three, who vehemently denies ever using the N-word, is "utterly devastated" by the accusations made against him.

The star was sacked this week after an internal investigation by the BBC and production company Banijay into allegations made against his co-star Gregg Wallace. The Australian-born chef was spoken to by a representative from the legal firm Lewis Silkin at the end of June as part of the inquiry into his MasterChef co-host.

The source added: "One of the allegations is that he said the N-word while repeating Kanye's Gold Digger song during a gathering with his colleagues when filming had ended.

"John is adamant he would never have used the N-word and only knows the radio version of the song which says: 'Now I ain't sayin' she a gold digger, but she ain't messin' with no broke, broke'. The clean version of the song is the only one he knows.

"The person who raised the complaint didn't say anything at the time. So John only found a few weeks ago that this issue had been raised. This has hit him like a ton of bricks as he does not recall it.

"And he insists he would never have repeated the N-word in those lyrics because he only knows the radio edit of the song." Express.co.uk has reached out to the BBC and John Torode's representatives for a comment.

Torode's celebrity friends have also publicly spoken out on his behalf after he was axed from the show. Piers Morgan tweeted: "Salem wants it witch trials back." Media personality Christine Hamilton, a Celebrity MasterChef finalist, said: "John Torode is one of the nicest, kindest guys I've ever met.

"His sacking by the vile BBC is deeply unjust and shows how deeply entrenched is their wokeism." However, the former Pointless quiz host Richard Osman, claims Torode had used "the worst racial slur" and that the allegations were "watertight".

On his podcast The Rest is Entertainment yesterday (July 16), he said: "[John] used, I think, [probably the worst racial slur there is and they found that to be substantively true. They found evidence they were happy with. He said that he couldn't remember it. But that one was upheld."

Both Pointless and House of Games are part of Banijay UK's portfolio of shows.Wallace was officially sacked this week by the BBC and Banijay after an internal investigation was carried out into allegations of misconduct on the show between 2005 and 2024. A total of 45 out of 83 allegations against him were upheld.

The majority were inappropriate sexual language, although one related to unwanted touching. It comes after it was revealed yesterday that the final series of MasterChef with Wallace and Torode as hosts, will air "once the dust has settled".