British Airways has suspended its sponsorship of Louis Theroux’s podcast following an interview with Bobby Vylan, also known as Pascal Robinson-Foster. During the podcast, Vylan expressed that he felt “not regretful” about leading chants of “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]” at the Glastonbury festival this summer, stating he would “do it again tomorrow.”
In response to the interview, British Airways informed PA Media that the podcast’s content violated its sponsorship policy. A company spokesperson noted that the sponsorship has been paused and the associated adverts withdrawn, emphasizing the importance of these sponsorship standards in relation to politically sensitive topics. The spokesperson also mentioned ongoing investigations to understand how the issue arose.
The fallout from Vylan’s statements has led to significant repercussions for the rap duo, including the cancellation of two gigs and pressure from MPs and Jewish community leaders. Following the controversy, Bob Vylan was dropped by his agency UTA, and the U.S. State Department revoked the band’s visas, leading to the cancellation of their North American tour.
In the podcast recorded on October 1, Theroux sought clarity on Vylan’s stance regarding the chant. Vylan reiterated his support for the message behind the chant and indicated that any backlash he faced was minimal compared to the hardships experienced by those in Palestine. He expressed that he felt supported by his Palestinian friends, asserting that his actions were for them.
Vylan’s Glastonbury performance was livestreamed by the BBC, which later faced criticism for not pulling the broadcast amid the controversy and was found to have violated its own editorial guidelines concerning “harm and offence.”
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/oct/25/british-airways-pulls-louis-theroux-podcast-sponsorship-after-bob-vylan-interview