British punk‑rap duo Bob Vylan have reportedly been dropped by their agency, United Talent Agency (UTA), following widespread backlash over a chant during their Glastonbury Festival performance. The news first emerged via Deadline and has since been corroborated by outlets including The Independent, which noted that the duo’s name appeared to have been removed from UTA’s roster this past weeken.
The Incident
On Saturday, June 28, frontman Bobby Vylan led the crowd on the West Holts Stage in chants including “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF,” messages that were broadcast live via BBC iPlayer. The performance ignited strong reactions, prompting Glastonbury organizers—led by Emily Eavis—to describe the comments as “appalling” and say they “crossed a line” with respect to hate speech.
Media & Political Fallout
The BBC issued a statement expressing regret for not ending the live feed sooner, calling the remarks “utterly unacceptable” and signaling plans to tighten its live‑event policies. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the chant as “appalling hate speech,” while UK police confirmed they are reviewing footage to determine whether any laws were broken.
UTA Breaks Ties
Following “extensive discussions” within the agency, UTA reportedly removed Bob Vylan from their website and terminated representation over the public relations controversy—a move first reported by Deadline and echoed in subsequent media coverage
