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BBC 5 Live presenter Danny Baker has been fired after posting a racist Tweet about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's new baby Archie.
On Wednesday, Baker posted a black and white image on Twitter of a man and woman walking down stairs with a chimpanzee in a suit and a top hat along with the caption "Royal baby leaves hospital."
After the tweet began receiving instant backlash from those accusing him of mocking the duchess's racial heritage Baker deleted it and issued an apology and an explanation, but the damage was already done.
The 61-year-old Baker was immediately fired from the BBC, but Twitter remains outraged over the racist image.
BBC just fired the radio show host who posted this racist ugliness. Danny Baker deleted the tweet, then offered a h… https://t.co/79LisqS6Zu— Shaun King (@Shaun King) 1557405586.0
This is the image Baker posted.
@prodnose/Twitter
The image immediately sparked outrage across Twitter.
@shaunking @juliettetorrez That’s what Meghan has to deal with. Good riddance to that guy.— Inez Russell Gomez (@Inez Russell Gomez) 1557408472.0
@shaunking May he never work in media again.— Keithan Williams (@Keithan Williams) 1557405891.0
@shaunking If he didn't know it was offensive, he should've been fired. Ignorance is not an excuse.— Neddy Ned (@Neddy Ned) 1557433800.0
@shaunking https://t.co/metmxHHPjN— Shalawn Dillon (@Shalawn Dillon) 1557406358.0
"This was a serious error of judgment and goes against the values we as a station aim to embody," said a BBC spokesperson. "Danny's a brilliant broadcaster but will no longer be presenting a weekly show with us."
Baker however called his firing a "masterclass in pompous faux-gravity," saying that the BBC "literally threw me under the bus."
Baker also insists he wasn't aware of the racist overtones of the image.
Following the initial image Baker posted a string tweets attempting to explain and apologize, saying it was "supposed to be a joke about Royals vs circus animals in posh clothes but interpreted as about monkeys & race, so rightly deleted. Royal watching not my forte."
Baker went on to add "In attempting to lampoon privilege and the news cycle I went to a file of goofy pictures and saw the chimp dressed as a Lord and thought, 'That's the one!' Had I kept searching I might have chosen General Tom Thumb or even a a baby in a crown. But I didn't. God knows I wish had."
In a string of follow-up tweets Baker claimed ignorance and attempted to apologize.
Once again. Sincere apologies for the stupid unthinking gag pic earlier. Was supposed to be joke about Royals vs ci… https://t.co/YFNVXJCjHB— Danny Baker (@Danny Baker) 1557349354.0
But it was a genuine, naive and catastrophic mistake. There is of course little media/twitter traction in such a st… https://t.co/HHFLLqQF82— Danny Baker (@Danny Baker) 1557480964.0
Anyway i am now paying the price for this crass & regrettable blunder and rightly so. Probably even this final word… https://t.co/VhBbINRbmN— Danny Baker (@Danny Baker) 1557480964.0
Though Twitter wasn't buying the half-baked excuse or the half-hearted apology.
@prodnose Easily remedied. Simply re-tweet the :"Royals v circus animals" tweets you posted when William and Kate had their children.— Iyiyim (@Iyiyim) 1557350568.0
@prodnose Did you post that picture for any other Royal babies?— Jo Skalsky♍ (@Jo Skalsky♍) 1557404517.0
@prodnose You weren't "chucked" under a bus by anyone. You threw yourself under the bus!— Tricia Cordon (@Tricia Cordon) 1557476325.0
@prodnose https://t.co/pSAnQzqYCf— Danny Field (@Danny Field) 1557393536.0
@PeteScuff @themightychew @prodnose There was no remorse in his apology and he blamed others for the reaction.— PurpleWarrior (@PurpleWarrior) 1557403528.0
@prodnose That makes no sense whatsoever?— Ken Frost (@Ken Frost) 1557442028.0
In the end folks were glad to see Baker being held accountable for his actions and happy to see him on his way out the door.
@prodnose You got what you deserve.. And way down you go— Al Yazi Al Ameri (@Al Yazi Al Ameri) 1557416152.0
@prodnose Done and dusted Dan. Move along now.— Colin Nottingham (@Colin Nottingham) 1557386340.0