Naga Munchetty had a visibly unimpressed reaction when her BBC Breakfast colleague Peter Ruddick made a suggestive joke about his “dabber” and took a dig at co-host Charlie Stayt's salary. The strained exchange occurred over the weekend as the team introduced an item about bingo halls.
Stayt kicked off the segment by saying: “Peter’s getting ready for eyes down. Is that the phrase? Eyes down?” Ruddick responded teasingly: “What do you mean, is that a phrase? I know you’re at the bingo most weeks, Charlie. That’s where you’re spending your Breakfast salary, isn’t it?”
Awkward Silence on the Sofa
Ruddick continued, “Get ready... you’re getting ready with your dabber,” before adding: “I need to send you a picture of my dabber actually.” As silence filled the room, he went on: “I’ve got… I’ve got a dabber upstairs actually. I was gonna… I was going to show it you later.”
The camera then panned out to show Munchetty, bearing a serious expression, had turned completely away from Ruddick on the sofa. She looked down and ran a hand through her hair as Stayt continued to stare at Ruddick in the silence.
Ruddick's Defence
Ruddick took to X after the incident to insist that the crew backstage were “in hysterics” over his jibe. “Cue stony silence. But not on the studio floor or in my earpiece connected to the gallery,” he wrote. “Everyone in hysterics. If you listen carefully you can hear the moment I almost cracked. I honestly thought I might have to stop.”
Stayt is reported to earn up to £194,000 a year, while Munchetty is believed to have an annual salary of £364,999.
Munchetty's Departure
Munchetty announced in July that she is quitting BBC Breakfast after 17 years on the show. She is expected to make her final appearance on Breakfast in December before officially starting on the Radio 5 show in January 2027, replacing current hosts Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards. BBC Breakfast presenter Sally Nugent, 54, is reportedly being lined up as Munchetty’s replacement.
The decision comes after she was reportedly placed under review last summer following complaints of bullying over a three-year period. The broadcaster was accused of bullying a female colleague and making a “wildly unprofessional” off-air sex joke that left a co-worker “humiliated.” In 2022, she allegedly used a crude word for a sex act and asked a colleague if they had done it. The exact comment hasn’t been reported, however one source claimed it was, “crass, inappropriate and wildly unprofessional,” and added: “The person felt embarrassed.” In a separate alleged incident, Munchetty was accused of telling off an intern over the quality of her Marmite on toast. The investigation is understood to have been “quietly closed” and the outcome was never made public, The Sun reported.
