Archive December 16, 2025

As Donald Trump threatens legal action against the Beeb, the Mirror takes a look at the broadcaster’s most recent list of top earners, which includes some surprises

View 3 Images

US President Donald Trump is suing the BBC to the tune of $5 billion, yesterday claiming, “they put words in my mouth”.

POTUS is here referring to an episode of Panorama which aired a week before the 2024 US election, which showed comments he made to supporters ahead of the deadly 2021 Capitol riots. The episode appears to show Trump telling crowds: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell.”

However, these words were created from different segments of the 79-year-old’s speech, delivered nearly one hour apart. The BBC has since issued an apology over the edit, admitting to an “error of judgment” while clarifying there was no legal basis for Trump’s claim. As the row continues, the Mirror takes a look at the Beeb’s list of top earners.

READ MORE: Donald Trump sues BBC $5 billion for Panorama speech edit: ‘They put words in my mouth’

View 3 Images

Back in July, the BBC published the salaries of its highest-paid stars as part of its annual report, and a number of significant changes amongst the top earners. Former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who this year left the corporation was once again the top earner with a take home salary of £1.35million. This was followed by former Radio 2 breakfast host Zoe Ball, who took home £515,000 despite being replaced on the Breakfast Show by Scott Mills.

Match of the Day Host Alan Shearer emerged as the third highest paid BBC star of the year, increasing his salary from the year before after covering the Euros last year. The former Newcastle star boosted his paycheck to almost half a million pounds with his punditry at the tournament.

Radio host and political expert Nick Robinson also had a pay rise last year, while Radio 2 host Vernon Kay joined the top 10 for the first time. Perhaps surprisingly, BBC North America Editor Justin Webb also made the top 10, with a very impressive salary of £365,000.

View 3 Images

The BBC’s top earners:

1. Gary Lineker £1,350,000-£1,354,999 (no change)
2. Zoe Ball £515,000-£519,999 (down from £950,000-£954,999)
3. Alan Shearer £440,000-445,000 (up from £380,000-£384,999)
4. Greg James £425,000-£429,999 (up from £415,000-£419,999)
5. Fiona Bruce £410,000-£414,999 (up from £405,000-£409,999) and Nick Robinson £410,000-£414,999 (Up from £345,000 and £349,000)
6. Stephen Nolan £405,000-£409,999 (up from £400,000-£404,999)
7. Laura Kuenssberg £395,000-£399,999 (up from £325,000-£329,999)
8. Vernon Kay £390,000 – £394,999 (joined Radio 2 in May 2023)
9. Justin Webb £365,000-£369,999 (up from £320,000-£324,999)
10. Naga Munchetty £355,000-£359,999 (up from £345,000-£349,999)
11. Scott Mills £355,000-£359,999 (up from £315,000 – £319,999)

Last year, Vernon Kay made the list for the very first time after joining BBC Radio 2. The Bolton born presenter replaced Ken Bruce and took home a whopping £320,000 from the corporation in his first year. Despite this staggering sum, his take-home pay was almost 20 per cent less than what Ken earned in the previous year in the slot.

Meanwhile, disgraced BBC News host Huw Edwards also remained on the list last year, coming in at third place with a wage of £475,000-£479,999 (up from £435,000-£439,999). Edwards, who had been off-air since July 2023, left the BBC after being named as the presenter at the centre of days of allegations and speculation regarding his private life.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , X , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

READ MORE: M&S’ coffee and cake hampers are now under £5 in time for Christmas gifting

Rob Reiner’ son, Nick, 32, has been booked for the murder of his parents, who were tragically found stabbed to death at their home in Los Angeles on Sunday

View 4 Images

Shocking shots of Rob Reiner’s son, Nick, 32, being arrested for his parents’ murder have been released.

Hollywood is still reeling after it was revealed that the beloved When Harry Met Sally director, 78, and photographer wife, Michele, 68, had been found stabbed to death at their home in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Shortly after the tragic news broke, their son Nick was arrested 15 miles away from the family home and was pictured being surrounded by cops.

Staff at the Pierside Santa Monica motel – where he had been staying – claimed they called authorities after discovering a trail of blood inside Nick’s hotel room.

View 4 Images

Nick had earlier checked in to The Pierside Santa Monica, where staff later discovered a shower ‘full of blood’ and a trail leading off his bed, as well as a window covered up by bedsheets. He checked in at 4am, just hours after he and his parents reportedly had an intense argument at Conan O’Brien’s holiday party.

In dramatic photos released this morning, the 32-year-old, wearing jeans, a striped jacket and baseball cap, can be seen lying face down on the ground in handcuffs before he was put in the back of a police car by armed officers in Los Angeles.

Nick is now held without bail and will appear in court at 8:30 am local time on Tuesday, according to jail records.

View 4 Images

Rob’s daughter, Romy, 28, tragically discovered her parents dead in their Los Angeles home, with sources reporting she went to check on her film director father and mum after their masseuse said they failed to answer the door.

It has also been reported that comedy legend Billy Crystal and his wife Janice rushed to their friends Rob and Michele’s home to say their goodbyes moments after the couple were murdered.

Billy and Janice arrived in time to see first responders working on the bodies. Romy allegedly called the Crystals about the tragedy after reporting the murders to the police.

View 4 Images

Nick, who is being held in custody in Downtown Los Angeles, has spent more than a decade battling addiction and has spoken openly about his struggles.

He has previously said he underwent multiple stints in rehabilitation, experienced periods of homelessness, and frequently clashed with his parents while in the grip of his addiction.

In a 2018 episode of Dopey, a podcast exploring the complex path between addiction and recovery, Nick recalled first entering rehab at just 15 years old. He said that over time he learned how to manipulate the system to leave treatment early.

He admitted: “I’d think, ‘I just want to go home,’ so I’d stay sober just long enough to get discharged. Then I’d go home and start using again.”

Following the shocking double murder of American film director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, disturbing details have emerged of a loud argument between his son Nick and guests at a party the night before

View 4 Images

In the wake of the chilling murders of director Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle on Sunday afternoon, disturbing details have emerged of what happened at a party hosted by US talk show king Conan O’Nrien just hours before the horrific killings.

According to police, Princess Bride director Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife of 36 years, Michele, 66, were slain in their sprawling six-bed family home in Brentwood, LA on Sunday afternoon.

And as Hollywood tries to make sense of the shocking double-murder, it has emerged that Ron and his middle son Nick Reiner, several sources have claimed to PEOPLE, got into a fiery dispute at a Christmas party the night before, hosted by Conan O’Brian.

View 4 Images

It follows a report by TMZ on Monday which claimed that the 78-year-old Hollywood heavyweight Reiner and his son were embroiled in a “very loud argument”.

One of the sources claimed to PEOPLE: “Nick was freaking everyone out, acting crazy, kept asking people if they were famous.”

It has now been revealed that Nick became ‘disruptive and upset’ when his parents expressed their worries about his health at Conan’s party, reports NBC. It’s reported that Rob and Michele then left the party following the set-to, according to TMZ.

Nick had accompanied his parents to the event, and sources later claimed to Sky News’s US partner NBC that the couple were both upset and embarrassed by his behaviour, and expressed concert about his health, citing another source alleging that Nick’s behaviour had made other guests feel uncomfortable.

They claimed that the screenwriter had interrupted a conversation between filmmaker Bill Hader and two other guests and when told it was a private conversation – stood still and stared at the group, before storming off in a rage.

Devastatingly, just hours later, Rob and Michelle Reiner were found murdered in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, Dec. 14, their bodies allegedly found by their daughter, Romy – with the LA Fire Department called to the gruesome scene at around 3.30pm local time, to provide medical aid.

View 4 Images

First responders discovered Rob and Michele’s bodies. Although officials did not release any further details, a police source who spoke to the Associated Press believe the couple suffered brutal stab wounds and were found with their throats slit.

Their son Nick, 32, was later arrested and charged with murder, and is now being held without bail.

Rob met his wife while directing classic romcom When Harry Met Sally… and the pair went on to marry in 1989, and have three children together – actors Jake and Romy, and screenwriter Nick.

Of all their children, Nick is the one who has been most vocal over the years – and had previously been outspoken about his battles with drug addiction, as well as homelessness – revealing that his troubles began when he was just a teen.

In 2016, he revealed that his stints in rehab began at just 15, and as his addiction battles intensified, he drifted from home and would end up on the street for stretches, in various US states.

View 4 Images

In a 2018 podcast appearance, Nick once confessed that he had trashed the family home he was living in while high on meth.

‘It’s not much of a story. I got totally spun out on uppers — I think it was coke and something else — and I was up for days on end,’ he revealed, before adding that he ‘punched’ various appliances around the guest house.

Rob Reiner’s 2015 film which he made with Nick, Being Charlie, was partly inspired by Nick’s younger years.

The late director was the hand behind many iconic movies, including This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Stand By Me, The Princess Bride (1987), and A Few Good Men (1992). He was the son of acclaimed comedian Carl Reiner, and make his big break in Hollywood on popular sitcom All in the Family.

Tracy Reiner, 61, whom the director adopted during his previous marriage to Penny Marshall, said she was devastated as she had last seen the director just one day before he was killed.

‘I came from the greatest family ever,’ she told NBC News. ‘I don’t know what to say. I’m in shock.’ She added that she had seen her father at a family gathering the day before the shock attack.