Boris Johnson has been “fired for banging on about his book” during a guest appearance on Channel 4’s coverage of the US election, according to the programme’s co-host Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
The former UK prime minister was told off for holding up his memoir and plugging it just minutes into the live programme titled America Decides: US Presidential Election.
Channel 4 newsreader Guru-Murthy told Mr Johnson to “put it away” and “stop it, enough” as he twice referenced his new book and attempted to hold it up to viewers.
Guru-Murthy described the former prime minister’s actions as “so cheap”.
Mr Johnson retorted: “There’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop me… I’m allowed to plug my book.”
Later during the panel discussion, Mr Johnson said he met with former US president and Republican nominee Donald Trump after his attempted assassination in July.
“In case I failed to mention this, I am promoting my book Unleashed, and I had a talk with him about Ukraine,” he said.
When asked about following in Mr Trump’s footsteps regarding a political comeback if he was to win the presidential election, Mr Johnson said: “The answer is obviously contained in Unleashed where you’ll find the full discussion of this subject.”
"I have a problem with it."
Boris Johnson tells @maitlis he disagrees with Donald Trump's election denialism in the 2020 US election.
Watch #C4AmericaDecides NOW on @channel4 until 6am pic.twitter.com/Q4fuMmvvEB
— Channel 4 (@Channel4) November 5, 2024
Co-host Emily Maitlis told him: “We are not all going to read your book, so just tell us, do you want to have a political comeback…. You can’t actually answer a single question.”
Mr Johnson responded: “By the way Emily I’ve answered all your questions all night. Currently I am blissfully engaged promoting my book Unleashed, available in all good book stores.”
After being challenged, Mr Johnson claimed: “Here is Channel 4 news, run by Ian Katz, sitting here doing the same old stunt that you tried in 2004 taking a massively skewed approach to a US election.
“I’m not standing for election here.”
Later in the programme, Mr Johnson was replaced on the Channel 4 panel by Michael Cohen – who served as a lawyer to former president Mr Trump.
Guru-Murphy told viewers: “Boris Johnson has been fired for banging on about his book.”
It was not clear whether Mr Johnson’s exit from the programme had been planned or if he had departed early.
Mr Johnson, 60, has been promoting his new memoir titled Unleashed after it was released last month.
The 784-page book looks back on Mr Johnson’s time as prime minister – from 2019 to 2022 – including Brexit and the Covid pandemic.
Channel 4 newsreader Guru-Murthy is at the helm of the channel’s first overnight US election programme since 1992 alongside former Newsnight presenter Maitlis.
Political pundits, and a number of famous faces including Mr Johnson, joined the hosts in the Washington DC studio as the American public decides whether Democratic nominee Kamala Harris or Mr Trump becomes president.
Guests on the programme include Republican supporter and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner, and Stormy Daniels, the woman at the centre of Mr Trump’s hush money trial following an affair between the two.
A representative for Channel 4 has been contacted for comment.
