ITV presenter Piers Morgan has stopped the morning show “Good Morning Britain”.
The British broadcaster confirmed on Tuesday night local time in a statement that “after talks with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided that now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain. ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add . ”
His shock deviation from the popular morning show he co-hosts with Susanna Reid comes less than an hour after an inquiry was launched by British regulator Ofcom into his comments on Monday’s edition of the show. Morgan said he did not believe Meghan Markle’s comments about her mental illness she made during her and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in the US on Sunday night.
Markle said she approached people in the Royal Institution for help after she had suicidal thoughts but was turned down.
‘Who did you go to? What did they tell you? ” demanded a fighting Morgan on Monday morning when the British press first began responding to the CBS revelations that emerged overnight. “I’m sorry, I do not believe a word she said, Meghan Markle. “I would not believe it if she read me a weather report,” Morgan continued.
Ofcom launched an investigation on Tuesday after more than 41,000 people signed up to complain about Morgan’s behavior.
Earlier in the day, on Tuesday’s edition of the program, Morgan stormed off plan while airing ‘Good Morning Britain’ live, following an argument with defender Alex Beresford, who called Morgan’s behavior ‘devils’. The host left and said, ‘Sorry. You can please me, mate, but not on my own show. See you later.”
Morgan later returned to the program, saying: ‘When we talked about this yesterday, I said it’s all comprehensive, I do not believe what Meghan Markle says in general in this interview, and I still have serious concerns about the truth much of what she said. But let me just say to my report on my position on mental illness and suicide: these are clearly extremely serious things and should be taken extremely seriously, and if someone feels that way, they should get the treatment and the necessary help every time. And if they belong to an institution like the royal family and they go looking for help, they absolutely must get it. ‘
“It’s not for me to ask if she had suicide. I’m not thinking about it, and that’s for her to say,” Morgan added. ‘My real concern was honestly an disbelief … that she went to a senior member of the royal household and told them she was suicidal and that she said she could not get any help because it would be a bad look for the family. If this is true a) the person should be fired and b) the royal family has serious questions that need to be answered. ”
ITV CEO Carolyn McCall said during the broadcaster’s earnings call on Tuesday that she believes Markle “completely” believes and the broadcaster also issued a statement.
“ITV is committed to mental health and wellness and is working with our charity partners on ‘Britain Get Talking’, which is about encouraging people to talk about their mental health,” the statement said. “It is very important that if someone has suicidal thoughts, they should always speak out and be listened to.”
More to come.