LBC host James O’Brien has accused a caller of telling "lies" after they speculated a former colleague who left the airwaves was thrown off for being critical of Israel.
Sangita Myska – who hosted a weekend phone-in show – left the station last April shortly after rowing with Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hyman over the country's military action in Gaza, prompting a flurry of questions from listeners.
During her interview with Hyman, he was visibly agitated by the host's line of questioning about Israel's escalation with Iran. Hyman called her questions “outrageous” during the interview multiple times and was seen to be visibly flustered.
Tens of thousands of people signed a petition calling for the presenter to be reinstated amid speculation she had been suspended over the interview.
Prominent journalists, broadcasters, politicians and celebrities also signed an open letter to LBC expressing “deep concern” over her sudden disappearance from the station.
More than 100 people signed the letter, including MPs John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana, singer Charlotte Church, and Channel 4 news presenters Symeon Brown and Lindsey Hilsum.
A row has now broken out between James O’Brien and a caller who rang in claiming Myska had been removed for being critical of Israel.
O'Brien claims Sangita Myska wasn't silenced by LBC for criticising Israel. He says its a lie & accuses Sangita of deliberately allowing the lie to fester by staying silent, allowing people to believe antisemitic conspiracy theories (how is saying Sangita was sacked antisemitic?) pic.twitter.com/j9LuzlqFnB
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) March 13, 2025
O’Brien launched into a furious defence of the station in response, saying such claims were “lies” and accusing Myska of allowing these claims to “fester” in deciding to “stay silent”.
O’Brien said: “That’s just rollocks mate. I mean you can say it because you’ve got free speech but that’s just crap.”
The caller responded sarcastically: “Thank you.”
O’Brien then went on: “I can’t believe that certain people have allowed this lie to be perpetuated.
“We sit in a room every three months, every single person that works here. They show us graphs of how our programme is performing. Everybody knows when someone is vulnerable. And it’s not the graph of what audience you inherit when you come on air, it’s a graph of how your audience falls or rises during the duration of your programme.
“You have decided to believe something that isn’t true and the only person that can prove to you that it isn’t true has decided to stay silent and allow people like you to believe slurs and antisemitic conspiracy theories about her former colleagues.”
The caller then tried to get a word in and said: “I didn’t make an antisemitic slur…”
O’Brien replied: “Yes you are, you’re claiming someone has been censored or silenced when they haven’t.”
The caller then questioned how that was antisemitic to which O’Brien said: “I am setting the record straight on something, okay? The idea somebody would be silenced for being critical of Israel during a phone-in that is heavily critical of Israel is palpably absurd.
“You can dispute the fact its antisemitic, that’s my opinion, and that is my freedom of speech that I am exercising just as you are exercising yours. But if you choose to come on this programme and tell lies about every single one of my colleagues, I will push back.”
Myska was replaced by former Tory candidate Ali Miraj soon after the interview with Hyman, with LBC bosses later confirming her permanent departure.
In a post on Friday morning, the day after the O'Brien exchange, she said only: "Many of you have shown me immense kindness, support and understanding over the last 24 hours. Thank you x."
The National has approached parent company Global for further comment.
