Piers Morgan Has Harsh Words For Gayle King
Last week, controversial TV host Piers Morgan sensationally walked off the set of Good Morning Britain, the show he'd been fronting for six years, after a vicious argument with weatherman Alex Beresford over Meghan Markle. Just a couple days later, broadcaster ITV confirmed Morgan had been given the option to either apologize for his comments or step down and had chosen the latter. The TV host argued on air that he didn't trust anything Markle said, doubling down on those comments in a follow-up statement on Twitter.
The Duchess of Sussex gave a tell-all interview, alongside husband Prince Harry, to Oprah Winfrey during which they revealed Markle had suffered with mental health issues, Harry's father, Prince Charles, had stopped taking his phone calls, and an unidentified senior member of the royal family had made a racist comment about the shade of their son's skin tone. As far as Morgan is concerned, the couple is purposely disparaging the royal family, including family friend Gayle King, who's provided an insight into their current status.
Piers Morgan demands the truth on behalf of America
Morgan took to Twitter to criticize King for acting as a "PR mouthpiece" for the Sussexes. The former GMB host also accused Winfrey's BFF of facilitating the "ongoing public trashing of our Royal Family," and encouraging King, who co-hosts CBS This Morning, to do her "job as a journalist and ask them about all the lies they told." He concluded by simply stating, "America should hear THE truth." As People reported earlier this week, King revealed she'd caught up with the Sussexes in the wake of their headline-making interview, confirming Harry had sadly had an "unproductive" conversation with his brother and father, while nobody from the royal family had reached out to Markle directly yet. She did advise, however, that everybody was focused on moving forward as a family.
Morgan has tussled with many celebrities online for their defense, or even support, of the Sussexes. The TV host has evidently had an issue with Markle ever since she "ghosted" him, per Morgan's telling, after meeting Harry (via YouTube). His criticism of the Duchess, alongside the 57,000 complaints — and counting — received by ITV for Morgan's on-air comments haven't hurt his professional chances, though. As Metro advises, he's in the midst of a bidding war between GB News and Rupert Murdoch's conservative channel News UK TV reportedly worth $10 million.
The former Good Morning Britain host claims the public supports him
Upon learning his comments had inspired a record-breaking number of complaints (via The Independent), Morgan took to Twitter to gloat. "Only 57,000? I've had more people than that come up & congratulate me in the street for what I said," the former GMB host dubiously claimed. He added, "The vast majority of Britons are right behind me." Morgan was heavily criticized for dismissing Markle's claims of feeling suicidal during her time with the royal family. As Deadline notes, the Duchess of Sussex admitted to Winfrey the negative attention from the U.K. press was so intense, she simply "didn't want to be alive anymore."
Morgan countered, "I don't believe a word she says, Meghan Markle. I wouldn't believe her if she read me a weather report," to which his co-host, Susanna Reid, responded, "That's a pathetic reaction to someone who has expressed those thoughts." Mental health charity Mind — who supports ITV's Get Britain Talking campaign, which aims to remove the stigma surrounding getting help for such issues — also posted a statement to Twitter denouncing Morgan. Mind noted they were "disappointed and concerned" by his comments, arguing, "It's vital that when people reach out for support or share their experiences of ill mental health that they are treated with dignity, respect, and empathy."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Piers Morgan's fans were thrilled to see him back on TV
Morgan's departure from GMB was a long time coming. Just last month, almost 1,200 media professionals signed an open letter to ITV denouncing the host's behavior as bullying and intimidation following an online spat with former Piers Morgan's Life Stories colleague Adeel Amini (via Twitter). "As freelancers working within television, we feel a responsibility to speak out against bullying and harassment wherever we see it, including from on screen personalities who are all too often poorly reprimanded for unacceptable behaviour and abusive conduct," the letter read. True to form, Morgan tweeted that it was "beyond parody" and claimed he was the real victim.
ITV reasoned it couldn't control what Morgan tweeted, as per Deadline. According to the Daily Star, in spite of the backlash over Morgan's behavior, a considerable amount of fans took to social media heralding his return to British TV Thursday night. Morgan was interviewing Coleen Nolan, a presenter and singer with Irish girl group The Nolans, for the latest edition of Life Stories. One fan described the interview as "spot on," while others enthused, "Nice to see my mate Piers Morgan on TV miss that Voice on TV," and "Great to see you back on @ITV Piers #LifeStories." A stateside supporter even demanded the show be broadcast in the U.S. so that they could get their Piers Morgan fix.