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Topline
Broadcaster Piers Morgan’s years-long contempt for Meghan Markle has come under sharp focus, with his storming off the Good Morning Britain set marking the latest twist in a week that has prompted calls for his resignation after he discredited her accounts of suicidal thoughts and racism during her time as a senior royal she shared in an interview with Oprah.
Morgan stormed off GMB on Tuesday morning, before returning (Photo by Emma McIntyre/BAFTA LA/Getty … [+]
Key Facts
Morgan, 55, stormed off the set of U.K. breakfast show Good Morning Britain (GMB) Tuesday after co-presenter Alex Beresford called him out for continuing “to trash” Markle once their personal relationship went sour.
“I understand that you don’t like Meghan Markle, you’ve made it so clear a number of times on this programme…she’s entitled to cut you off if she wants to,” Beresford said, noting that she and Piers at one point had a personal relationship.
“Okay, I’m done,” Morgan said as he walked off the set in response, before being slammed for his “diabolical behaviour” by Beresford.
Beresford went on to criticise Morgan for denying Meghan’s claims in the CBS interview, including her account of having “very clear” suicidal thoughts and a senior member of the Royal Family voicing concerns about the color of her son Archie’s skin.
On Monday, critics and mental health campaigners called for ITV, the broadcaster behind GMB, to sack Morgan after he responded to the bombshell revelations in the Oprah interview by saying: “I don’t believe a word she says, Meghan Markle. I wouldn’t believe it if she read me a weather report.”
In response, Morgan on Monday said he was a victim of “racist bullying”, a claim that has been roundly rejected by critics and anti-racism advocates, including lawyer and prominent activist Dr Shola-Mos Shogbamimu.
Crucial Quote
“I’m sorry, but Piers spouts off on a regular basis and we all have to sit there and listen,” Beresford said.
Chief Critic
Morgan has faced criticism on several fronts over recent days, from mental health charities to anti-racism advocates, as well as commentators online questioning the timing of his outburst on International Women’s Day. U.K. talk show host Trisha Goddard went viral for telling Morgan on Monday: “What gets me is why is everybody else such an expert about racism against Black people? I’m sorry, Piers, you don’t get to call out what is and isn’t racism against Black people. “You can call out all the other stuff, I’ll leave you to call out all the other stuff you want. But leave the racism stuff to us, eh?” Morgan’s critics after he stormed off included ITV Royal Editor Chris Ship, who tweeted: “Surely Piers knows if you give it, you gotta be able to take it?”
Key Background
Morgan has for years been among the most vocal critics of Meghan Markle. Once friends, the former News Of The World editor claims that Meghan ended their friendship after she began her relationship with Prince Harry. He has since used his platform as a columnist for the tabloid MailOnline and on GMB, one of the U.K.’s most-watched breakfast shows averaging 1 million viewers each morning, to interview Markle’s estranged father Thomas and sister Samantha, and has clashed with guests who have defended the Duchess. Some of Morgan’s most severe allegations against Meghan include accusing her of trying to “destroy” the Royal Family, control her husband and trash the Queen and he has previously been criticised for being racist towards the Duchess, which he has denied. GMB co-host Susanna Reid has also faced criticism from some online commentators for being “complicit” in Morgan’s tirades by not speaking up enough, claims that she has rejected.
Tangent
During the CBS interview, Harry pointed to the “bigoted” U.K. press as one of the reasons behind his and Meghan’s departure, labelling the press as racist. His claims have ignited fierce debate among U.K. journalists, led by representative body the Society of Editors, who denied Harry’s claims, while other journalists have urged that the industry to not ignore its failings.
Further Reading
Meghan Markle Tells Oprah Winfrey ‘It’s Nothing Like What It Looks Like’ (Forbes)
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