British Airways Pulls Louis Theroux Podcast Sponsorship After Bob Vylan “No Regrets” Interview

British Airways has pulled its sponsorship of The Louis Theroux Podcast following an episode featuring British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan, whose Glastonbury performance earlier this year sparked national controversy and a criminal investigation.

At the 2025 Glastonbury Festival, Bob Vylan used their West Holts Stage set as a political statement — voicing support for Palestine, criticizing the Israeli military, and calling out the BBC as well as the UK and US governments. The performance reached a boiling point when frontman Bobby Vylan led the crowd in a chant of “death, death to the IDF”, which drew widespread backlash and prompted an investigation by Avon and Somerset Police. The duo also saw multiple international shows canceled and had their US visas revoked.

In his first full-length interview on the subject, aired earlier this week on Louis Theroux’s podcast, Bobby Vylan doubled down on his position:

“I’d do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays. I’m not regretful of it at all,” he said.

British Airways, a longtime advertising partner of the podcast, swiftly withdrew its sponsorship, citing a breach of its advertising policy.

A spokesperson for the airline said:

“Our sponsorship of the series has now been paused and the advert has been removed. We’re grateful this was brought to our attention, as the content clearly breaches our sponsorship policy in relation to politically sensitive or controversial subject matters. We and our third-party media agency have processes in place to ensure these issues don’t occur and we’re investigating how this happened.”

During the interview, Bobby Vylan maintained that any personal backlash he faced was “minimal” compared to the suffering in Palestine, saying:

“If that can be my contribution and my Palestinian friends can say, ‘Yo, your chant, I love it,’ then what is there to regret? Because I’ve upset some rightwing politician or some rightwing media?”

The fallout from Glastonbury continues to ripple. Bob Vylan’s headline dates in Manchester and Leeds were postponed due to political pressure, after several MPs and Jewish leaders voiced concern over the shows. The performances were meant to kick off their “We Won’t Go Quietly” UK and Ireland tour in early November.

In a public statement, the group said their art is meant to “teach our children to speak up for the change they want” and called for the “dismantling of a violent military machine.”

Their latest single, “Sick Sad World,” continues in that same defiant spirit — taking aim at Prime Minister Keir Starmer and “the BBC’s lies.”

Meanwhile, Louis Theroux and his production team have not commented publicly on British Airways’ withdrawal, but the episode remains available online — a reminder that when art and activism collide, brands often step back while the debate rages on.