Is This The Real Reason Piers Morgan Isn't A Fan Of Meghan Markle?
If there is one thing Oprah Winfrey's conversation with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has done, its revived interest in a number of old interviews which might explain certain things, from why Meghan Markle is compared to Prince Harry's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, to how John Oliver once warned the American actress about marrying into the British Royal Family. Now, with Piers Morgan in the doghouse over the comments he made questioning Meghan Markle's story, an old interview which purportedly explains why Morgan feels so strongly about the Duchess of Sussex has resurfaced, too.
Even before Piers Morgan lost his job over Meghan and Harry's interview with Oprah, criticizing Meghan Markle had become something of a brand for the British television personality. In the past, he'd made national and international headlines for calling The Duke and Duchess of Sussex "shameless hypocrites," and for asserting that they "despise" the royal family (via News Hub and Irish Post). His attacks had become so intense by 2020 that Morgan admitted publicly to having crossed a line. "Do I think that will govern and temper how I talk about them going forward? Absolutely," he reflected to The Sunday Times. In the same interview, he noted, "It's probably not wise, if you're a columnist, to make things too personal" (via Metro).
Clearly, despite his commitment to do so, Morgan was unable to hold back. And a 2018 video, making the rounds on Twitter, may give us a hint as to his lack of restraint.
Here's how Piers Morgan and Meghan Markle met
In a 2018 interview, Piers Morgan says Meghan Markle "ghosted" him after they met up in a bar for drinks in 2016. "We spent two hours in a pub, she had a couple of dirty martinis, I had a couple of pints, we got on brilliantly," Morgan told RTÉ's The Late Late Show (via BBC). After their meet-up, Meghan went to a party where she was eventually introduced to Prince Harry. "And then the next night, [Harry and Meghan] had a solo dinner together, and that's the last I ever heard from Meghan Markle," Morgan says with a laugh. If you didn't catch The Late Late Show episode in question, watch it here, on Twitter.
Morgan says he and Meghan followed each other on social media before they met up at a pub (via Insider). The British broadcaster has even tweeted a 2015 screenshot of what he claims to be message from Meghan, in which Meghan says she's a "big fan." If you believe Morgan, that message was the beginning of a virtual friendship. "We then spent the next year trading funny messages, then she began emailing me the Suits episodes early," Morgan told Good Morning Britain, shortly after Meghan and Harry's engagement (via Insider). Back then, Morgan hadn't turned against her. Instead, he praised the soon-to-be duchess as "confident, nice, normal, smart [and] talented."
If there is more to that story, neither Piers Morgan nor Meghan Markle are spilling the beans.
Social media users aren't too happy with Piers Morgan's obsession with Meghan Markle
Suffice to say, social media is more than a bit creeped out by Morgan's three-year-old confession, and many took him to task for what they felt was an unhealthy obsession for the Duchess of Sussex.
"Oh so he got quietly rejected.. but he didn't even have a chance though. And after seeing the clip of him putting his colleague on blast on TV for her outfit THIS MORNING.. It's probably that Meghan felt pretty uncomfortable around him & his misogyny," one social media user said. Another quipped: "So a family having their lives destroyed by the British press is all just about a gross old man being rejected by a beautiful young woman. Sounds about white." A third said: "I am always amazed when guys say 'we got on brilliantly' and can't understand why 'I never heard from her again'; dude, she couldn't get out of there quick enough; stop whining, take it on board and improve yourself."
According to CNN, Markle has also spoken out against Morgan. She reached out to Good Morning Britain after Morgan went on air and openly discredited her account of having suicidal thoughts. Markle was purportedly not personally offended, but instead concerned about how Morgan's comments might "degrade the seriousness of mental health issues." Variety, meanwhile, reports that after receiving over 40,000 complaints, the United Kingdom's office of communications, Ofcom, confirmed officially "launch[ing] an investigation" into Piers Morgan's comments "under our harm and offence rules."