He’s a successful entrepreneur and the youngest-ever Dragon on BBC’s Dragons’ Den.
But despite his early successes, 32-year-old Steven Bartlett, whose podcast Diary of CEO reportedly rakes in a monthly audience of 15 million, has suffered multiple recent career blows.
Last Summer, his nutrition adverts with Zoe and Huel were banned by a watchdog for being ‘misleading’.
Days later, the entrepreneur was savagely mocked online after an old video of him engaging in a rap battle resurfaced.
Steven – who is also the founder of ThirdWeb, Flight Story and Flight Fund as well as, previously, the Social Chain – was then condemned by health experts for sharing harmful health information on his podcast that could put cancer patients at risk.
Soon after, the BBC was hit with more than 500 Ofcom complaints following an episode of Dragon’s Den that saw contestant Gisele Boxer secure six offers after claiming she cured her ME with acupressure ear seeds. She picked Steven, who is said to be worth some £70million, to support her company.
Controversy surfaced when it emerged that the founder had changed the company’s name and had Steven’s brother listed as a director instead of him a week after her episode aired.
The Dragon’s career trajectory took a further turn this week after it was revealed that he had stepped down from his position as the director of Huel, a fast-growing meal replacement brand.
He’s the youngest-ever judge to feature on Dragons’ Den, but the tide might be turning on Steven Bartlett, following multiple controversies, including him being mocked for a rap video (pictured)
Nutrition adverts banned for being misleading
Steven’s nutrition adverts for Zoe and Huel were banned by advertising watchdog for being ‘misleading’ last year.
Three sponsored posts were shared on Facebook in February and March in which the Dragons Den’s star praised the products from the health science brands.
However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) later claimed that the ads were ‘misleading’ as they did not make it clear that Bartlett had a financial interest in both brands.
He is an investor in Zoe and was a Huel director at the time.
Both Huel and Zoe disputed the ban, arguing it is clear from the ads there is a commercial relationship and that consumers do not need to know the ‘exact nature’ of those relationships.
An advert for nutrition brand Zoe featuring Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett was banned for failing to disclose their commercial relationship with the celebrity entrepreneur
Until recently, the 32-year-old Dragons’ Den judge was also a director at meal-replacement brand Huel
The advert for Zoe, which offers health testing and dietary advice services, featured an image of Bartlett with a Zoe patch on his arm, with text in the form of a quote from Steven which stated: ‘If you haven’t tried Zoe yet, give it a shot. It might just change your life.’
Defending the ad, Zoe said the average consumer would understand that there was a commercial relationship if a celebrity appeared in an ad for a brand, and argued that the consumer did not need to know the exact nature of that relationship.
Zoe said that if it was obliged to include a specific disclosure about the nature of Steven’s status as an investor in Zoe, this would have a wider impact on other brands and influencers.
The ASA says it received two complaints that it wasn’t clear from the advert that he had a commercial interest in the company.
Huel, known for its vitamin-enriched food items – whose ads featured Steven stating that its Daily Greens powder was the ‘best product’ it had released, argued that consumers had no doubt about the existence of such commercial relationships when they saw the endorsement within a paid-for ad taken out by a company.
Hayley Knight – co-founder and Communications Director at BE YELLOW PR agency commented: ‘Though you can’t deny that he has achieved a lot for someone his age, he has also received a lot of backlash over his business and business decisions.
‘I think one of the main issues for Steven is overexposure, and his self promotion, meaning people may be becoming fatigued and sceptical with him and his content.
‘With his profile, also comes great responsibility, which with the recent advertising news, and previous claims of financial misleadings and spreading misinformation on his podcast, people feel that he is taking advantage of his following, and becoming arrogant.
Mocked over resurfaced footage of a rap battle
Footage of a young Steven Bartlett (pictured) taking part in a rap battle resurfaced on social media, shocking fans of The Diary of a CEO and Dragons’ Den star
Things got worse for Steven, as fans were left stunned by resurfaced footage of the entrepreneur taking part in a rap battle as a youngster.
In the clip, Bartlett can be seen rapping as his alter-ego, Lyricist, and taking the project very seriously.
His rap featured lyrics about the potato famine including: ‘You’re Ireland’s only last hope when it comes to rapping.
‘Considering the fact you’re such a blatant cabbage, Ireland are going to lose another precious vegetable like the potato famine.’
At 10 seconds long, the clip shows a baby-faced Steven competing in a rap battle against an opponent called ‘Rawsoul’.
The rap video only added fuel to the fire caused by the advertising furore, as Steven was ruthlessly mocked on social media.
One person wrote on social media ‘I’m flabbergasted’ followed by several laughing emojis.
Another exclaimed: ‘This can’t be real’ and completed their post with a crying emoji.
Dragons’ Den ‘fakery’ storm
Pictured: Steven Bartlett attending the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards at The Royal Festival Hall in London in May 2022
Last year, the BBC was hit with more than 500 OfCom complaints, following an episode of Dragon’s Den which saw contestant Gisele Boxer secure six offers, after claiming she cured her ME with acupressure ear seeds.
She picked Steven, who is said to be worth some £70million, to support her company.
There was further controversy when it emerged that the founder had changed the company’s name and had Steven Bartlett’s brother listed as a director instead of him, a week after her episode aired.
Giselle Boxer, from Sheffield, became the first person to receive six offers as she appeared on the BBC show in January, asking for £50,000 for a 10 per cent stake in her business, Acu Seeds.
The mother-of-one said she set up the business, which sells £30 gold plated ear seeds, while on maternity leave after she used a similar product to ‘cure herself from ME’.
Despite being offered the full amount she was asking for from five of the dragons, Giselle opted for a smaller offer – £50,000 for 12.5 per cent of the business – from Steven because she is ‘spiritual’ and ‘was told she was going to meet an important man called Steven’.
But information on Companies House at the time listed Steven’s brother Jason Bartlett as a director rather than him. At the time, it showed Jason as being resigned – but Steven is not listed in his place.
And it emerged at the same time that the company had changed its name from Acu Seeds to East Healing Ltd.
Bartlett (pictured far left) features on the show alongside pictured L-R: Sara Davies, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Peter Jones
The listing revealed that the company name change was certified on September 22, 2022. The appointment of Jason Bartlett as a director was then made on January 19, 2024. He resigned on February 14, 2024.
During her pitch, Giselle, 31, said she was told she would never get pregnant after being diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) at 26.
The former advertising executive claims to have fully recovered from ME, which causes extreme tiredness, sleeping problems and brain fog, in less than 12 months with the help of acupuncture and Chinese ear seeds and fell pregnant.
There is no evidence that ME reduces fertility rates but some related ailments – such as irregular periods and endometriosis – can make it harder to conceive.
She gave up her career in advertising to become a stay-at-home mother. While on maternity leave, she decided to launch her own ear seed business, but the entrepreneur was accused of ‘selling snake oil’ and preying on the ‘most vulnerable and horribly ill people in society’.
Various doctors and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) sufferers hit out at the BBC and the business for promoting an alternative medicine with no scientific evidence it can help ME or fatigue.
The ME association reported Acu Seeds to the Advertising Standards Agency and wrote to the BBC and chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport committee and chairman of the health and social care committee.
‘People who have ME/CFS are often on very low incomes and in the absence of any effective medical treatment are very vulnerable to these sort of unsubstantiated therapeutic claims.
Giselle Boxer (pictured) from Sheffield, appeared on the BBC show in January, and asked for £50,000 for a 10 per cent stake in her business, Acu Seeds
Giselle received six offers, but despite being offered the full amount by multiple Dragons’, Giselle opted for a lesser offer from Steven, saying that working with him was a ‘complete dream come true’
‘They are fed up with the way in which unproven and expensive treatments are regularly being promoted to them.
‘This programme has therefore caused a great deal of upset and anger in the ME/CFS [Chronic Fatigue Syndrome] patient community,’ the letter reads.
It added that during Dragons’ Den none of the panel asked any questions about ‘validity Acu Seeds in ME/CFS and whether there was any scientific evidence of safety and efficacy for this product’.
Dr Charles Shepard, Hon Medical Advisor for The ME Association, said: ‘The way in which Dragons’ Den has been used to promote an unproven treatment for ME/CFS has, not surprisingly, caused a great deal of upset and concern in the ME patient community.
‘People with ME/CFS are fed up with the way in which products like this are regularly being promoted when there is no sound evidence from proper placebo-controlled clinical trials to confirm that they are safe and effective.
‘These sort of expensive commercial products and devices should not be promoted to very vulnerable sick people until they have been properly assessed for safety and efficacy in clinical trials – in exactly the same way that drug treatments are.’
The popular show was widely condemned over promoting unproven healthcare claims.
Criticised for encouraging ‘misinformation’ on his podcast
Three sponsored posts were shared on Facebook in February and March in which the Dragons Den’s star praised the products from the health science brands
He faced further criticism from health experts, who accused Bartlett of sharing harmful health information that could put cancer patients at risk.
Among the claims made by his podcast guests are that cancer can be treated by following a keto diet, and that the Covid vaccine was a ‘net negative for society’.
While it was not Bartlett himself making these claims, he was slammed for failing to question these disproven claims, and creating a distrust of conventional medicine as a result.
Professor David Grimes, Associate Professor in public health and cancer researcher from Trinity College Dublin, warned that cancer patients could end up ‘worse outcomes’ by following the recommendations of the self-proclaimed gurus.
‘You could potentially and very realistically get very, very, sick,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Professor Heidi Larson, an expert in public confidence in healthcare, accused the podcast of ‘sending people away from evidence-based medicine’.
‘[Patients] stop doing things that might have some side effects, even though it could save their life,’ she said.
They made these comments for a BBC World Service investigation into the accuracy of health information featured on the podcast.
After analysing 23 health-related podcast episodes, the broadcaster found 15 contained an average of 14 harmful claims that went against scientific evidence.
In addition, it found the misinformation was allowed with ‘little to no challenge’ by the 32 year-old entrepreneur.
However, as media regulator Ofcom does not regulate podcasts in the UK, Bartlett is not breaking any broadcasting rules by airing false claims.
One of the episodes under scrutiny featured health advice from Dr Thomas Seyfried, an American Professor of biology and genetics based at Boston college.
A proponent of the ketogenic diet – a low carbohydrate, high fat plan – Dr Seyfried insists it can help to treat cancer.
In addition to his claims that a ketogenic diet could prevent and even treat the disease.
He also criticised modern cancer treatments, claiming that radiotherapy and chemotherapy only improved patients’ lifespan by one-to-two months, and comparing them to ‘medieval cures’.
Discussing the findings of the BBC, Prof Heidi Larson said the guests were ‘overstretching’ scientific fact that is known to be true.
Steven Bartlett (pictured) was criticised by a personal trainer who slammed the businessman for ‘platforming charlatans’ on his podcast earlier this year
‘It sends people away from evidence-based medicine,’ he said. ‘They stop doing things that might have some side effects, even though it could save their life.’
He has also been criticised by Glasgow-based fitness expert Cáelán Tierney, who blasted the entrepreneur of platforming ‘charlatans’ and ‘conspiracy theorists’, during an episode of the podcast, Chat S*** Get Cancelled.
Other interviews have included an exercise professor who said ‘being comfortable causes cancer’ and a dating coach who claimed to reveal the ‘scientifically sexiest’ body types.
Contradicting himself over Barack Obama story
In May last year, Steven Bartlett bizarrely contradicted himself as he claimed ex US President Barack Obama gave him advice – only to clarify that they ‘didn’t have a conversation’.
Speaking in an interview with The Times, the British business magnate revealed how he once shared a stage with the American politician.
He was referring to the VTEX Day 2019 summit in São Paulo, Brazil, from six years ago.
The social media savvy businessman was telling the outlet about being ‘on the verge of urinating into his own underwear’ while making a school speech aged 14 – ‘fast-forward ten years from that traumatic day, I’m headlining alongside Barack Obama in front of 10,000 people in São Paulo’.
Steven Bartlett (pictured last year) bizarrely contradicted himself as he claimed ex US President Barack Obama gave him advice – only to clarify that they ‘didn’t have a conversation’
He was referring to the VTEX Day 2019 summit in São Paulo, Brazil , from 2019. Barack Obama pictured at the event
He continued that there are ‘two things Barack Obama said to him that he’s always remembered’ – which were how he made his decision for ‘getting’ Osama bin Laden and his thoughts on diversity.
But when the Times interviewer asked about the meeting, Steven clarified that they were ‘in the same space’, and were ‘both backstage’.
However, after being prodded on if they spoke to one another, the Dragons’ Den star admitted they ‘didn’t have, like, a conversation’.
Bartlett had appeared to contradict himself in his comments about meeting the former US president.
In December last year, when asked by the Guardian who his dream podcast guest would be, he replied: ‘Michelle and Barack Obama. And I’d love to interview Elon Musk. Donald Trump? No. I have no interest in interviewing him.’
Despite this apparent ‘fall from grace’ however, brand expert Hayley said the developments would ‘unlikely’ affect the success of his businesses.
However, she did stress the importance of the investor maintaining his public image over the coming months.
Hayley said: ‘It’s unlikely that it will affect his success long term, as his career isn’t built solely on public perception, rather than business acumen.
‘And public figures go through cycles of popularity and backlash, and those like Steven Bartlett still manage to maintain their success despite public opinion. And controversy often heightens someone’s profile.
‘However, it may affect his relationships with brands and investors, who want to work with people who are trustworthy and forthcoming, which have been his recent failings.
‘And he will need to think seriously about how his actions may have affected the public perception of the brands he works with and invests in, as they now appear untrustworthy.’
Steps down as director from meal replacement brand Huel
Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett stepped down from the board of fast-growing meal replacement brand Huel
Dragons’ Den star Steven stepped down from the board of meal replacement brand Huel.
Filings at Companies House confirmed that he, alongside fellow non-executive Emma Woods were no longer directors at the fast-growing business.
Steven has been a director at Huel since early 2021 and is understood to have retained a small stake in the company, the Grocer reported.
Emma, a former CEO of Wagamama and ex-marketing director at Unilever, joined the business in 2022.
‘Steve has recently moved to LA and is involved with so many businesses that’s it’s hard for him to commit time to a Huel board role,’ said a spokesman for the brand.
‘He remains an investor in the business. Emma will continue to be a supporter of Huel as she steps away from a board position.
‘Huel has had a great partnership with Steven and Emma, and we are very grateful for the part they have played in the company’s success.’
The brand was criticised by the Advertising Standards Agency last year – the second time in two months – over ‘misleading’ claims about its products, including suggesting that a portion of its Daily Greens powder worked out cheaper than fresh green veg.
Huel, which is available as a powder or in ready-made shakes and energy bars, takes its name from the words ‘human fuel’ shortened
Filings at Companies House confirmed Bartlett and fellow non-executive Emma Woods were no longer directors at the business
The company, which takes its name from the words ‘human fuel’ shortened, was previously in hot water with the advertising watchdog last August after Bartlett failed to make clear in Facebook posts promoting Huel that he had a financial interest in the company.
The recipe for the plant-based, protein rich shakes came from former NHS dietician James Collier, whose passion from nutrition stemmed from seeing his mother’s food habits shift after she was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was a child.
James, 52, a former bodybuilder, worked with entrepreneur Julian Hearn – who would go on to become the business’s CMO – to develop the formula behind the offering, which made more than £200 million in revenue last year.
In November, it was reported that Huel had almost trebled profits to £13.8million in the year to July 31. Sales rose 16 per cent to £214million. As of 2023, the business was valued at £440 million.
Huel is touted as a cheap, quick and convenient way of getting in a nutritious meal and its shakes are made from oats, peas, tapioca, flaxseed and brown rice.
Sold in a variety of flavours, the bottled shakes contain about 20g of plant-based protein and 26 vitamins and minerals.
Huel has secured investments from other big names along the way including Idris Elbas, Jonathan Ross, and TALA founder Grace Beverly.
The brand has recently landed on supermarket shelves and expanded into instant meals, selling noodles, curries and pasta dishes to avid gym-goers.
