Tim Westwood Steps Down from Radio Show After Sexual Misconduct Accusations
British DJ and host Tim Westwood is accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, the alleged incidents occurring between 1992 and 2017.
Famed British DJ and entertainment host Tim Westwood has been accused of misusing his prominence in the music industry. According to The Guardian, multiple women have claimed that the the 64-year-old used sexual predatory advances towards them and groped them at events.
On Wednesday, Global – the parent company of Capital Xtra – confirmed that Westwood has stepped down from his radio show indefinitely. "Following the claims that have recently come to light, Tim Westwood has stepped down from his show until further notice," Global's statement reads.
Although the women in have withheld their identities in reports from BBC and The Guardian, some of the woman have shared their incidents with Westwood in interviews with the latter publication. Stories about the alleged encounters first circulated in June 2020, where in a statement, Westwood claimed that the allegations were erroneous and false.
One woman, who was pursuing a career in music, was picked up by Westwood in 2010 under the assumption of discussing her career with the DJ. After being picked up by Westwood, the woman was shocked to see that he had undone his trousers and exposed himself without consent.
“I didn’t actually see him undo his trousers. What alerted me to the fact that he was exposing himself was the fact that he actually tapped me to turn around to look," the woman said. "I’ve looked and I’ve seen and I’m like, ‘Oh, no, oh no, like, oh my God’,” she said."
The woman also said that when the two arrived at Westwood's flat, he initiated sex without her permission. Afterwards, the woman indicated that she wanted to leave and the DJ took her to a train station, rejecting to take a mix CD that she offered him. The woman said she later became aware of allegations that other women made about Westwood on social media in 2020.
“It is a privilege to be able to do what you love as a job and it’s a privilege to be given a platform to do it on,” the woman continued. “So it’s a massive violation when you abuse that.”
Lawyers for Westwood have denied the recent allegations, claiming that “any suggestion that he acts, or has acted, in the way described would be false and seriously defamatory.”
Westwood is known for hosting BBC Radio 1’s first rap show in 1994. The DJ and host went on to host Capital Rap Show on Capital FM, Westwood Radio 1 Rap Show and has also hosted webseries Tim Westwood TV.
On Tuesday evening, BBC Three aired a documentary about Westwood's allegations, titled Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power. The documentary is currently available on BBC iPlayer.
This story was updated on Wednesday, April 27th.