Axed BBC star Jermaine Jenas is in talks about a new radio show and set to sign a deal after sexting scandal
Jermaine Jenas is in talks about a new radio show and is set to sign a deal, just a month after a sexting scandal cost him his job at the BBC.
Jermaine Jenas is in talks about a new radio show and is set to sign a deal, just a month after a sexting scandal cost him his job at the BBC.
The married father-of-four has held meetings with bosses at talkSPORT with it likely he will be offered a role as a pundit, according to sources.
Jenas broadcasting comeback would ironically be on the same radio station he appeared on in August just minutes after the story broke of his sacking from the BBC for inappropriate behaviour.
The former England international, 41, was embroiled in an intense exchange live on air on talkSPORTs Drive programme and at one point demanded the recording of the segment be stopped.
But a source told The Mirror he is now hopeful of agreeing a new deal with radio bosses.
Jermaine Jenas has held meetings with bosses at talkSPORT with both sides hopeful of agreeing a deal
Jenas comeback would come just a month after he was sacked from the BBC for inappropriate behaviour
Jermaine has already held meetings with talkSPORT bosses and both sides are hopeful of agreeing a deal, they said.
He knows he has done wrong, but it shouldnt stop him from having a career in the media.
Hes keen to get his life back on track and returning to work is a key part of that.
Jenas was abruptly sacked in August by the BBC for sending inappropriate messages to two female colleagues, something he later admitted left him feeling ashamed and fighting to save his 13-year marriage to Ellie Penfold.
He was axed from The One Show and Match of The Day. He was also met with similar allegations from other women in the weeks that followed, which he later denied.
In a video to his 211,000 followers on Instagram yesterday, the former England midfielder had hinted at a return.
Hello you lot, obviously been missing for a while on the socials, he said.
He was then interrupted by his dog and joked: Its the timing. Like, Im trying to say something important and he decides to take a s***. Ill come back to you, Ive got to pick this up.
In a new video, he then thanked his followers for their support and revealed: Its clearly been a difficult period for me but one that Ill definitely grow from. Were human beings, thats what it is.
Jermaine Jenas has hinted at a return to football broadcasting as he opened up about a difficult period which he will grow from
The married father-of-four was abruptly sacked in August by the BBC for sending inappropriate messages to two female colleagues
Jenas previously opened up about the impact that his sexting had on his marriage to Ellie (pictured together)
Youll learn from it. Youll become a better person. Those are the things that are important in life.
None of us are perfect and weve just got to find a way to keep moving forward, look after our babies and our families in the best way we possibly can.
Thats something that Ill be trying to do. Mainly [I wanted to say] thank you, really. Its been really nice, the level of support youve shown me.
Its been a nice eye-opener as well. I kind of lost connection with my followers along the way and its been nice to reconnect with a lot of you whove been kind enough to send me messages.
Ive tried to get back to as many of you as I possibly can and I will continue to do so.
Jenas then teased a possible return to hosting duties, saying: Listen, some exciting stuff that Ive been working on, so youll all have that to look forward to very soon. Hopefully Ill be back talking about what I love, which is football.
Ive been living the life of those Spurs fans - up and down, up and down. Forest getting great results at Anfield and playing well.
So Ive been watching, but Im looking forward to getting back and talking about what I love most. So last of all, thank you very much and Ill see you soon.
After the scandal emerged, two new women told MailOnline how Jenas had also targeted them. One revealed how Jenas sent her an unsolicited picture of his manhood while he was working at the World Cup in Qatar two years ago.
And another, predating his mainstream broadcasting success with The One Show by several years, accused Jenas of sending her unsolicited sexual messages while he was shift working for BT Sport in 2017.
Jenas joined The One Show in 2020 as a stand-in co-host following the departure of Matt Baker and he was made a permanent fixture the following year.
Before opening up about the difficult time, Jenas was interrupted by his dog during a walk
Jenas has not been on The One Show or Match of the Day since the BBC sacked him in August
Jenas was pictured being driven away from talkSPORT after the scandal broke last month. He later did an interview where he said he was extremely sorry to his family over the messages
After he was sacked, another woman (pictured) told MailOnline how Jenas sent her a picture of his penis while he was working as a pundit for the BBC at the Qatar World Cup
Following several weeks of texting the woman, Jenas then sent her a message saying, Hang on. You want my boy now? followed by the photo of him holding his private parts
Then a junior make-up artist said Jenas targeted her while working at BT Sport. After she did his face to go on air, he found her Instagram and sent her this message, begging her for a snog while he waited in his dressing room
The woman (pictured) reported the behaviour to her line manager at BT Sport. Her boss was supportive. They urged her to leave the room when Jenas walked in so someone else would do his make up
The texts from Jenas to the woman were increasingly explicit, with him pleading: Just come to my dressing room early and Ill [perform a sex act}… thats not cheating x
He had been a regular pundit on sports programmes Match Of The Day and Match Of The Day 2 and a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live.
He had been widely regarded as a natural successor to replace Gary Lineker as host of Match Of The Day, but was noticeably absent from the first episode of the new season.
On his departure, a BBC spokesperson previously said: We can confirm that he is no longer part of our presenting line-up.
Jenas has criticised how his former employer handled his sacking and has said he will be speaking to his lawyers about the situation.
Upon his sacking from the BBC, Jenas told his former female colleagues he was genuinely sorry for sending inappropriate messages, issuing an apology after being told not to contact the two women due to legal process.
But he insisted they were between two consenting adults and that his behaviour was not illegal.
When he was axed by the BBC following claims by two female workers, the former Match of the Day host initially denied the claims to his wife before admitting to them.
He said in an interview with The Sun after confessing to the allegations: I feel ashamed. I feel Ive let everybody down - friends, family, colleagues.
The former midfielder also hit out at the BBC for the way the corporation handled his axing, saying: The handling of the situation wasnt great. It was quick — and hell.
I dont think there was a game plan for when they were going to announce theyd fired me.
I think different departments were being told different things. I think its shocking.
Jenas said that he had hoped to speak to the two female colleagues who had made the allegations, but had not been able to when the process got underway.
When it was all unfolding and I knew I was losing my job, I asked HR if I could contact the two women directly and apologise to both of them.
But because of the legal process, I wasnt allowed. I didnt get the opportunity to say sorry to them at that particular point when I really wanted to apologise.
I really want to apologise from the bottom of my heart in terms of what Ive put them through.
Addressing the women directly, he said: Im genuinely sorry for what Ive done to you. I always thought it was consensual and a two-way thing.
During his football career, Jenas appeared for England and played for Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers.
He also hosts Formula E race coverage for TNT Sports, which was previously BT Sport.
