BBC newsreader Geeta Guru-Murthy sparked backlash online after she interviewed rapper DC3.
BBC News Geeta Guru-Murthy came under fire for her controversial interview with rapper DC3 (Image: BBC)
BBC News presenter Geeta Guru-Murthy sparked uproar online when viewers accused her of “hissing” after rapper DC3 named Jesus Christ his biggest hero. While interviewing the 18-year-old musician, who was recently nominated for his first two MOBO awards, Guru-Murthy asked who his heroes are. DC3, who is otherwise known as Daniel Chenjerai, simply replied: “Santan Dave, Kendrick Lamar, most of all Jesus Christ.” The broadcaster then appeared to take a loud intake of breath, which many have branded a “hissing” noise.
DC3, a rising star from Northampton and already boasting more than 1 million followers on Instagram, is a Christian rapper whose hits include I Know, No Disrespect, and DC3’s Prayer.
He was appearing on BBC News after he received two nominations for Best Newcomer and Best Gospel Act at the upcoming MOBO awards. Sharing a brief clip from his TV appearance on social media, he penned: “JESUS CHRIST ON BBC NEWS.” He later added: “Jesus is Lord. God is good, and thank you all for the love.”
While many of his fans praised the musician for mentioning Jesus on air, others were less impressed by Guru-Murthy’s reaction. Several accused her of “hissing” and alleged the corporation is “anti-Christian”.
One person penned: “What was her big intake of breath for?” as another added: “I’m not a religious dude, but why did she just suck the air in through her teeth when he said Jesus Christ?”
Viewers claimed that the host “hissed” when DC3 named Jesus Christ as his biggest hero (Image: BBC)
Meanwhile, others saw the funny side in the odd interaction and poked fun at the BBC’s impartiality policy, with one user writing: “Other profits [sic] and/or gods are available.”
The BBC star has now issued a response following online backlash to the noise she made during the programme.
She tweeted: “I’ve seen there’s some discussion about the end of my interview with DC3 this week. For the record, I was simply breathing in before moving to end the interview. To suggest anything else is just untrue @BBCNews.”
A BBC spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “This story is categorically untrue.”
The musician, known as Daniel Chenjerai, has been nominated for two MOBO awards this year (Image: BBC)
The full list of MOBO nominations was released on Thursday (January 15), with Olivia Dean and Little Simz leading the way with four each.
This year, the star-studded event will take place on March 26 at Manchester’s Co op Live, marking the first time the ceremony has been held in the city as part of MOBO’s 30th anniversary.
This is not the first time Guru-Murthy’s interviewing style has been called into question by viewers. In 2024, she made an on-air apology for not meeting “the BBC’s editorial standards on impartiality” following comments she made about Nigel Farage.
She accused the politician of using “customary inflammatory language” after a clip showing him speaking at a Reform UK event in Dover. At the time, Ms Guru-Murthy said: “Earlier today, we heard live from Nigel Farage, speaking at that election event we just saw.
“When we came away from his live speech, I used language to describe it which didn’t meet the BBC’s editorial standards on impartiality. I’d like to apologise to Mr Farage and viewers for this.”
