A BBC News anchor has come under fire after many viewers interpreted what they saw as a mocking “hiss” when an 18-year-old musician named Jesus Christ among his personal heroes. The moment quickly went viral online, prompting a wave of memes, debates about media bias, and a strong faith-filled response from the young artist himself.

The tense exchange unfolded Saturday when BBC anchor Geeta Guru-Murthy interviewed rising musician DC3 — born Daniel Chenjerai — shortly after the artist received two nominations for the 2026 MOBO Awards. When asked to name his biggest inspirations, DC3 rattled off an eclectic list: “Santan Dave, Kendrick Lamar, most of all, Jesus Christ.” Immediately after the mention of Jesus, Guru-Murthy, 58, appeared to wince audibly — a reaction many viewers described as a “hiss” — before abruptly moving to end the segment.

JESUS CHRIST ON BBC NEWS pic.twitter.com/vmNfmlfEYQ

— DC3 (@dc3media) January 16, 2026

Clips of the moment spread rapidly across social media, especially on X, where users accused the BBC of open disdain toward Christianity. “BBC’s [Geeta Guru-Murthy] hisses at a man who says Jesus Christ is his hero. Imagine the outrage if this happened with Prophet Muhammad,” journalist Peter Lloyd wrote. Another user asked, “Why did the BBC newsreader act like the man said a racial slur mentioning Jesus Christ?” Others went the humorous route, comparing Guru-Murthy to a vampire recoiling at the Name of Christ, and even editing her into scenes from The Lord of the Rings as Gollum reacting to sunlight.

Far from retreating amid the backlash, DC3 boldly professed his faith. “Jesus Christ is real,” he wrote on X following the interview. In a second post, he added, “The revolution will be televised in Jesus’ name,” signaling that he had no interest in softening his convictions for mainstream approval.

Guru-Murthy later took to social media to deny any intent to mock the young artist or his Christian faith. “I’ve seen there’s some discussion about the end of my interview with DC3 this week. For the record, I was simply breathing in before moving to end the interview,” she wrote, tagging the BBC. “To suggest anything else is just untrue.” The network also issued a statement backing her up, saying the claim that she hissed at the name of Jesus Christ was “categorically untrue.”

Still, for many Christians and media critics, the incident touched a nerve, reflecting what they see as a double standard in how expressions of faith are treated within Western institutions. While the BBC insists nothing out of the ordinary occurred, public reaction suggests the moment resonated far beyond a single interview—and for DC3, it became an unexpected opportunity to point millions toward Jesus unapologetically.