John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) spoke very harshly about Jimmy Savile as far back as the late 1970s, accusing him of hypocrisy and hinting at serious ā€œseedinessā€ around him.

What Johnny Rotten Said

In a 1978 interview that later resurfaced, Lydon said he would like to ā€œkillā€ Jimmy Savile and called him a hypocrite.

He went on to say that Savile was ā€œinto all kinds of seediness that we all know about but we’re not allowed to talk about,ā€ suggesting there were widespread but unspoken rumours about Savile’s behaviour.

The ā€œBannedā€ Interview Angle

Lydon has claimed that, after those comments, he was effectively banned from BBC radio for a time because of what he said about Savile.

Reports describe the remarks as part of a longer interview that was not aired in full at the time, with the recording only resurfacing decades later when Savile’s crimes became public.

Why This Is Back in the News

The clip has circulated again online in recent years, especially after documentaries and renewed discussion of Savile’s abuse and institutional failures around it.

Many forum and news discussions highlight that Lydon publicly voiced suspicions long before Savile was exposed, though some commenters argue he was mostly reflecting general rumours rather than specific evidence.

TL;DR: He said he’d like to ā€œkillā€ Jimmy Savile, called him a hypocrite, and alleged Savile was ā€œinto all kinds of seediness that we all know about but we’re not allowed to talk about,ā€ remarks that were effectively shelved for decades.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.