Piers Morgan had been called out by his colleague Alex Beresford for continuing to "trash" the Duchess. And the host didn't take it well.
The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle's claims about her mental health have raised some eyebrows. Some people chose to stand with her and some, against. Among the latter group is Piers Morgan, former host of Good Morning Britain (GMB). Morgan, 55, who is a dad of four, including a 9-year-old daughter, had been ranting against Markle for years now.
In the recent outburst, he refused to apologize to Markle publicly after more than 40,000 people complained against him. He had a heated exchange with the show’s weatherman Alex Beresford, 40, over the bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, as per Sun UK. Beresford criticized the way Morgan "continues to trash" the Duchess of Sussex.
Co-host Susanna Reid sent the ITV show to an early break after their argument continued and Morgan walked off the live telecast. The weatherman called the host's behaviour "pathetic" and "diabolical." Beresford was quoted as saying by The Guardian, "I wish I had the privilege to sit on the fence. In order for me to do that I would have to strip myself of my identity and that’s not something I can do. It’s not any of our places to pick apart claims of racism in order to make us to feel more comfortable."
Morgan is facing an investigation from the United Kingdom's media regulator over his comments. Addressing Morgan's exit, Reid said that the "shows go on." It has not been decided who will replace him yet. However, British Indian host Ranvir Singh sat in Morgan's chair the next day, saying, "We don't call him Marmite for nothing."
ITV announced on March 9 that "following discussions... Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain." They added, "ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add."
Markle had said that while she was a part of the royal family, she felt like she "didn't want to be alive anymore" and had suicidal thoughts when she was pregnant with son Archie. She added that she told the royal family she wanted to seek help but was refused as "it wouldn't be good for the institution."
The 55-year-old former host said that he doesn't "believe" Markle. More recently, he tweeted, "On Monday, I said I didn't believe Meghan Markle in her Oprah interview. I've had time to reflect on this opinion, and I still don't. Freedom of speech is a hill I'm happy to die on. Thanks for all the love, and hate. I'm off to spend more time with my opinions."
On Monday, I said I didn’t believe Meghan Markle in her Oprah interview. I’ve had time to reflect on this opinion, and I still don’t. If you did, OK. Freedom of speech is a hill I’m happy to die on. Thanks for all the love, and hate. I’m off to spend more time with my opinions. pic.twitter.com/bv6zpz4Roe
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 10, 2021
His former colleague, Reid, said that there were "many voices" on GMB and "everyone has their say", adding that "some of you may cheer and others may boo" Morgan's departure. "He has been my presenting partner, Monday to Wednesday, for more than five years and during Brexit and the pandemic and other issues, he has been a voice for many of you and a voice that many of you have railed against," she said. "It is certainly going to be very different but shows go on, and so on we go," she added. Singh added that the 55-year-old has a "big character" and that many viewers would be "gutted".
Before Morgan quit, a Black activist Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu had schooled the host about his comments against Markle. Frustrated at him, the activist called him "disgusting" while he tried to defend the monarchy.
Meanwhile, other celebrities also spoke against Morgan. One of them was reality TV show Love Island's Niall Aslam. He was on the ITV dating show in 2018, and he shared a clip from GMB where Morgan made fun of his Asperger's. Aslam claims that Morgan did that a week after the reality TV star returned from psychiatric care.
Piers Morgan 'made fun' of Love Island star's Asperger's, claims Niall Aslam https://t.co/S62tr2oqrC
— The Irish Sun (@IrishSunOnline) March 10, 2021
"I remember watching this a week after I got taken out of psychiatric care. I didn’t have a good understanding of what was going in with my reality anymore and I was dealing with psychosis new medications. Then you see a person in a position of such power making fun of my expressions and the way I was talking which is something I was slightly conscious of because of my Aspergers, this really got to me at the time," he said, as per SUN UK.
References:
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/tv-showbiz/6798294/piers-morgan-quit-gmb-refusing-apology-meghan/
Cover image source: Getty Images | Photo by (L)Ramin Talaie (R)Clive Mason
