Piers Morgan leaves Good Morning Britain

Piers Morgan has stepped down as a presenter of ITV's Good Morning Britain following comments about Meghan Markle

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 25: Piers Morgan attends the 2019 British Academy Britannia Awards presented by American Airlines and Jaguar Land Rover at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 25, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for BAFTA LA)
(Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for BAFTA LA)

Piers Morgan has stepped down as a presenter of ITV's breakfast show Good Morning Britain. This announcement comes after Piers left the set after a discussion about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry became heated. 

Piers Morgan has been a longstanding host of the ITV show Good Morning Britain for the last six years. 

ITV announced that Ofcom received 41,015 complaints by 2 pm GMT on Tuesday following his comments on Good Morning Britain (GMB).

An ITV spokesperson has said, "Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain. ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add."

On Tuesday morning, Piers argued with weather presenter Alex Beresford who told off Morgan for continuing to "trash" Meghan Markle. Following this disagreement, Morgan walked off set and did not return for 10 minutes.

Alex Beresford later stated, "I wish I had the privilege to sit on the fence. In order for me to do that, I would have to strip myself of my identity, and that’s not something I can do. It’s not any of our places to pick apart claims of racism in order to make us to feel more comfortable.”

 Piers Morgan has repeatedly been skeptical about Meghan’s mental health issues and has regularly questioned her behavior on Good Morning Britain. 

On Monday, March 8th, Morgan stated about the Duchess of Sussex, "I'm sorry, I don't believe a word she said, Meghan Markle. I wouldn't believe it if she read me a weather report. The fact that she's fired up this onslaught against our Royal Family I think is contemptible."

Following Morgan’s behavior on Tuesday, ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall said she, "completely believed what [Meghan Markle] says", and added that as a company, ITV is "totally committed to" mental health.

Piers Morgan's departure took place on the same day as the Queen's response to Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview. As the shockwaves of Prince Harry and Meghan's revelations in their 'tell all' interview continue to surprise the British public.

Piers Morgan has yet to comment on his departure from the show but did Tweet an image of a grandfather clock with the caption “tick-tock” just before the announcement of his departure. 

The controversial host also tweeted just a few hours before the announcement, “‘I would rather die of passion than of boredom.’ Émile Zola.” 

This was attached to another tweet from Ash Sarkar that read, “Piers Morgan knows what makes good TV. I think he does genuinely get riled up (believe me, I've seen it first hand), but there's a reason why these outbursts happen on set while the cameras are rolling. Here we are, all talking about it.”

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Laura Harman

Laura is the Entertainment Editor for woman&home who primarily covers television, film, and celebrity news. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.