Former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood Was Hit With Allegations That Could Affect His Net Worth

When it comes to a career fraught with danger and controversy, one wouldn't usually look at a former DJ who was once the "face of the BBC’s rap and hip-hop output on Radio 1," per The Guardian.

British music tastemaker Tim Westwood has earned that title while facing struggles and controversy.

In July 1999, Westwood was convalescing in a London hospital after he was injured in a drive-by shooting. According to The Independent, the incident occurred while Westwood was sitting in his car at an intersection. Two men on a motorcycle fired at his vehicle from close range.

He was shot through the arm. Despite that, Westwood persisted and built an insane career that now includes rape allegations that will probably affect his net worth. Here's what we know.

Westwood is reportedly worth $8 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. Before he was desperately trying to introduce hip hop to the United Kingdom, Westwood was helping set up sound systems in clubs all over northwest London. In the beginning he "worked" for free by carrying boxes of records into clubs for other DJs.

"I was just a box boy," he told Red Bull Music Academy.

Soon Westwood managed to wiggle his way onto the stage warming up for folks like Rodigan, where he spun reggae and jazz-funk records. When crowds became interested in hip-hop, Westwood obliged.

"I’ve done hip-hop when it was small and I’ve done hip-hop when it was broke," he said. Things really took off in the early 1980s when Westwood started spinning at People's Club, which is where he "really learned to DJ."

His first job in radio was with the pirate radio station LWR. From there, Westwood moved on to Kiss FM and Capital FM before finally landing at BBC Radio 1 in the 1990s. That's where he hosted the station's premier hip hop show. Westwood released his own compilation albums and continued hosting live events all over the country.

He shifted to television by hosting the MTV show Pimp My Ride UK, which ran for three seasons from 2005 to 2007.

In January 2007, Westwood started his YouTube channel TimWestwoodTV, which has over 1 million subscribers. Westwood mostly does interviews, though his earlier videos feature things like Pimp My Ride UK outtakes.

He's mostly been focusing on that. In April 2022, The Guardian reported on accusations of sexual misconduct lodged against Westwood by multiple women who claim he "misused his position in the music industry to take advantage of them."

Three years after the sexual misconduct allegations came to light, Westwood was charged with four counts of rape, per the BBC.

He has also been charged with nine counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault. Seven women came forward with allegations that occurred between 1983 and 2016. Westwood has denied these claims.