Piers Morgan leaves British morning show on Meghan Markle: What happened?

The fuss about Oprah Winfrey’s heading interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, also known as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, did not end when the credits increased Sunday night’s CBS special. Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement about the interview, and Jen Psaki, press secretary of President Joe Biden, even addressed it in a general way. The British television personality, Piers Morgan, left the program Good Morning Britain after saying he did not believe what Markle considered about suicide and received no help from the palace.

Who’s Piers Morgan?

Americans may remember Morgan from his 2006-2011 term as a judge on America’s Got Talent, or as the presentation of the CNN program Piers Morgan Live, which ended in 2014. He also won the first season of The Celebrity Apprentice in 2008 when he was crowned as the best business brain by the then businessman, the later US President Donald Trump. But he is mostly a name in the UK, where he served as editor of numerous pony newspapers and was with Good Morning Britain from 2015 until his departure in 2021.

What did he say?

Morgan has long been a vocal critic of Meghan Markle, and he did not shy away from Good Morning Britain in the days after the interview aired. He calls the interview of Markle and Prince Harry Winfrey a ‘two-hour junk-on-the-table’ of the royal family.

But his comments Monday on Markle’s discussion of her suicidal feelings sparked the most controversy. After the show repeated the part of the interview, Morgan said, “I’m sorry, I do not believe a word she says, Meghan Markle. I will not believe her if she reads a weather report to me.”

Morgan addressed his controversial comments on the program on Tuesday and returned it slightly.

“I still have serious concerns about the truth of much of what she said,” Morgan announced. But he said he may have gone too far and said, “It’s not for me to doubt whether she felt suicidal.”

He further said he did not believe a member of the royal household told Markle that she could not seek help for feelings of despair. If this is true, the royal employee should be fired, and the royal family should respond to allow it, Morgan said.

What happened next?

Morgan’s comments about Markle were not well received. Ofcom, the British government’s broadcasting regulatory authority, is investigating the matter.

“We have launched an investigation into Monday’s delivery of Good Morning Britain under our rules on damages and infringement,” an Ofcom spokesman said in a tweet sent on Tuesday. The organization noted that the organization had received more than 41,000 complaints about the program on Monday.

We’ve been investigating Monday’s episode of Good Morning Britain under our rules for damage and trespassing.

As of Tuesday 9 March at 14:00, we have received 41,015 complaints about the program.

– Ofcom (@Ofcom) March 9, 2021

But Morgan still appears on Tuesday’s show, where things are heating up. Another presenter of the show, Alex Beresford, called him for Markle’s comments and said in part that Morgan was angry because of his friendship with the Duchess in the past.

“She has the right to cut you off if she wants to,” Beresford said. “Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I do not think she did, but still you continue to take care of her.”

That’s when Morgan got up and walked off the set and shouted, “OK, I’m done with this.”

Stop time

Morgan has now left Good Morning Britain. ITV, the network that hosts the morning show, announced the change on Tuesday.

“After discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided that now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain,” the statement read. “ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add.”

What was the reaction?

Many viewers, both British and American, came down on Markle and Prince Harry’s side.

English comedian Sue Perkins, known to many for her six-year presentation of The Great British Bake-Off, supported Markle.

“I want to live in a world, wherever you come from and whatever your circumstances, you are believed and helped when you reach out in a crisis,” Perkins said in a tweet.

Another Twitter user wrote: “The irony here is that @piersmorgan believes it’s OK to walk away from something he can not handle. But hell can break loose if Meghan and Harry walk away after an unsustainable “says it all about the kind of person he is.”

I want to live in a world, wherever you come from and whatever your circumstances, you are believed and helped when you reach out in a crisis.

– Sue Perkins @ (@sueperkins) March 8, 2021

The irony here is that @piersmorgan believes it’s OK to walk away from something he can not handle. But may hell break loose as Meghan and Harry walk away after going through an unsurpassed experience. Say it all about the kind of person he is.

Joey Antwi- Kusi (@AKJoeyy) March 9, 2021

Others supported Morgan, with some questioning Markle and her motives for the interview.

“They made millions from this!” one person wrote. “It’s fine with them to make the allegations and expect people to believe them, but the allegations about them say according to their lies! Meghan has no family and neither does Harry!”

Winfrey said during the interview that Markle and the prince are not being paid because they spoke to her.

Well done for privacy !! 👏👏👏👏
They made millions from this!
It’s okay with them to make the allegations and expect people to believe it, but the allegations made about it are according to them lies!
Meghan has no family and neither does Harry!

– ssjane18 (@ sarah49655245) March 8, 2021

As for Morgan, he tweeted a GIF of a ticking clock and the words ‘TICK TOCK’ without any explanation.