‘He had to go’: How ITV turned on Piers Morgan following Meghan rant

ITV bosses felt they had to be seen on the “morally right side of the argument”
Piers Morgan laughs as he speaks to reporters outside his home in Kensington
PA

Piers Morgan resigned from Good Morning Britain after management turned on him following his comments about Meghan Markle, is has been claimed.

According to the Guardian, ITV bosses felt they had to be seen on the “morally right side of the argument” following the duchess’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.

An insider told the newspaper that because Morgan wouldn’t back down he “had to go.”

The source also revealed how embarrassed Good Morning Britain staff made their own complaints about Morgan refusing to believe Meghan Markle before he quit the show.

The duchess complained to the CEO of ITV and said Morgan’s comments could affect other people going through a mental health crisis.

During the interview, which first aired in the US and was broadcast on ITV on Monday night, Meghan told Winfrey she had had suicidal thoughts while working as a senior royal.

Sources said production and editorial staff were hugely embarrassed and uncomfortable about Morgan’s comments.

One told the paper: “He’s been a brilliant interviewer on coronavirus. But I had friends asking me what he was thinking and I felt embarrassed to work here for the first time.”

Weather presenter Alex Beresford had not been scheduled to appear on the show on Tuesday but was drafted in “to add a balance of views” after publicly criticising Morgan on Twitter.

The two became embroiled in a heated on-air debate after Beresford slammed Morgan’s criticism of Meghan before Morgan dramatically stormed off.

Morgan looked visibly furious as Alex Beresford said Meghan cut him off
ITV

Speaking outside his London home following his resignation, Morgan said: “I believe in freedom of speech, I believe in the right to be allowed to have an opinion. If people want to believe Meghan Markle, that’s entirely their right.

“I don’t believe almost anything that comes out of her mouth and I think the damage she’s done to the British monarchy and to the Queen at a time when Prince Philip is lying in hospital is enormous and frankly contemptible.

“If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it.”

Morgan added that he was in “temporary hibernation” and was “always in talks with people”.

One of those people seems to be former BBC presenter Andrew Neil who said Morgan would be a “great asset” to new right-wing news channel GB News.

“I think he needs a little period of quiet reflection before anything happens. And I wouldn’t simply transfer what he did at GMB straight to GB News, I think we’d probably want to do something a bit different,” Neil told Radio 4.

Neil added he would not want “any shouting, or ranting, or raving” on the new channel.

Oprah Winfrey with Meghan and Harry

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Susanna Reid said the “show must go on” on Wednesday morning after Morgan’s shock departure.

She told viewers that she and Morgan “disagreed on many things” including his remarks on Meghan, and described him as an “outspoken, challenging, opinionated, disruptive broadcaster”.

Piers Morgan bid farewell to the GMB team following his resignation on Tuesday night.

He tweeted: “I had one goal when I joined@GMB – beat @BBCBreakfast in the ratings. On my last day, we did it. That was down to the hard work & dedication of the whole team. They don’t all agree with me, some don’t even like me, but we were a team..and we won. Thanks guys. I’ll miss you.”

ITV refused to comment.

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