Piers Morgan has backed off from his presenting role on Good Morning Britain last night following complaints over his comments on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey
The British television personality is leaving the show following comments he made about Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, ITV announced Tuesday.
Piers Morgan has been a constant critic of the couple, drawing backlash from viewers and an investigation by a media watchdog.
“Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain,” the broadcaster said in a statement. “ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add.”
On Sunday, Prince Harry and Meghan shocked millions in an interview with Oprah, revealing that relentless pressure from British tabloids and the royal family led Meghan to contemplate suicide. She also said there were discussions about “how dark” their baby’s skin colour would be. The royal family called the allegations “concerning,” but said the issues would be addressed by the family privately.
Morgan, however, appeared on “Good Morning Britain” on Monday, calling Meghan’s comments lies. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe a word she says,” he said. “I wouldn’t believe her if she read me a weather report.”
Both viewers and Morgan’s own co-hosts condemned his actions. While Morgan clarified his comments the next morning, saying he believes suicide and mental health are important issues to be treated by professionals, he later stormed out of the studio after fellow presenter Alex Beresford called his treatment of Meghan “diabolical.”
“I understand that you don’t like Meghan Markle. You’ve made that so clear a number of times on this program,” Beresford said. “I understand that you’ve got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle or had one and she cut you off. She’s entitled to cut you off if she wants to. Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don’t think she has, but yet you continue to trash her.”
At this point, Piers stood up and said: “OK, I’m done with this” and walked off set, saying: “Sorry, no… Sorry, can’t do this…”
“This is pathetic… This is absolutely diabolical behaviour, “Alex said to Piers’ receding figure.
Piers eventually returned to the set and tried to defend his comments about Meghan and Harry.
Piers said: “I didn’t have a relationship with Meghan Markle.
“I knew her briefly. All that did was inform me that she’s a bit of a cut and run. All her family, her father, her ex-husband, her ex-friends, have all been cut out of her life.
“It’s an interesting observation that I have.”
He added: “It doesn’t matter what I think of her. It doesn’t matter if believe her not, what matters is the damage she is accused of doing to the Royal Family.”
Later Tuesday, Morgan tweeted about his departure from the show. “Thinking of my late, great manager John Ferriter tonight,” he wrote. “He’d have told me to do exactly the same thing. @GMB #TrustYourGut”
Piers who spoke today outside his London home, insisted that his departure was “amicable”. He said: “I had a good chat with ITV and we agreed to disagree.
“I’m just going to take it easy and see how we go.
“I believe in freedom of speech, I believe in the right to be allowed to have an opinion. If people want to believe Meghan Markle, that’s entirely their right.
“I don’t believe almost anything that comes out of her mouth and I think the damage she’s done to the British monarchy and to the Queen at a time when Prince Philip is lying in hospital is enormous and frankly contemptible.
“If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it.”
He added: “I think it’s fair to say, although the woke crowd will think that they’ve cancelled me, I think they will be rather disappointed when I re-emerge.
“I would call it a temporary hibernation.”
Piers said that he is “always in talks with people”.
Asked what he would say to his Good Morning Britain colleague, Alex Beresford, with whom he had a heated debate during Tuesday’s show, Piers said: “Good luck to him.”
An insider according to the Mirror claimed that Piers had been ordered to apologise on the show over his rants about the Duchess of Sussex, but that he declined.
Read Also: Queen Elizabeth responds to Meghan and Harry’s tell-all interview
The said: “This is Piers Morgan we’re talking about, he has never backed down in his life – he’s hardly going to start now.”
A group of Meghan fans had launched a petition to have Piers axed from the show, something he had laughed off, and it was revealed yesterday that bosses had words with him about his comments.
An Ofcom investigation was also launched after a record number of complaints were made to the broadcasting watchdog.
As of 2 pm on Tuesday, 41,015 complaints had been made about his comments on Meghan and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah, making it the most complained-about TV moment of the decade.
Susanna Reid his co-host paid tribute to her former colleague, as she hosted this morning’s show without him.
She said: “A number of people will of course know the news and many of you will not and will be surprised that Piers Morgan is not here this morning.
“Now, Piers and I have disagreed on many things and that dynamic was one of the things that viewers liked about the programme.
“He is without doubt an outspoken, challenging, opinionative, disruptive broadcaster. He has many critics and he has many fans.”
She was joined on the show by Ranvir Singh, who stepped in to host with her.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
