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Piers Morgan is leaving ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain’ morning show after dealing with comments he made about Meghan Markle on Monday.
The news comes shortly after UK broadcaster Ofcom said it was investigating Morgan after more than 41,000 people complained.
“After discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain,” the network said in a statement Tuesday. “ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing more to add.”
Just hours earlier, Morgan was called on “Good Morning Britain” by co-host Alex Beresford for his behavior towards the Duchess of Sussex. Beresford said Morgan has been relentlessly criticizing Meghan in recent years, citing comments Morgan made that cast doubt on Meghan’s truthfulness when she spoke of her suicidal thoughts.
“I understand you don’t like Meghan Markle,” Beresford said to Morgan. “You’ve made that clearer a few times in this program. Several times. And I understand that you have a personal relationship with Meghan Markle or have had one and she cut you off. She has the right to shut you down. “If she wants to. Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don’t think she did, but you keep screwing her up anyway.”
The on-air incident caused Morgan to walk off the set.
Beresford called after him, saying the move was “pathetic.”
“This is absolutely diabolical behavior,” added Beresford with Morgan off camera. “I’m sorry, but Piers sprays regularly and we all have to sit there and listen – from 6.30am to 7am yesterday was incredibly hard to watch, incredibly hard to see.”
Morgan later reappeared on set in the program, walking back on some of the comments he made about Meghan, clarifying that it was not his position to question her sanity.
The broadcaster’s most recent comments about Meghan are related to an explosive interview she and Prince Harry gave Oprah Winfrey, which aired Sunday in the US and Monday in the UK. According to figures released by ITV on Tuesday, more than 17.1 million people in the United States tuned in to the event and more than 12 million viewers watched the broadcast in the UK.
The interview went deep into the reasons why the couple decided to leave England and distance themselves from their royal duties. Meghan and Harry shared what they said: a lack of support Meghan received when she went to the palace for mental health issues, the refusal of family security protections, and some royals’ concerns about what their son Archie’s skin color would be once he was born.
Queen Elizabeth said Tuesday that the royal family will address allegations of racism within Buckingham Palace by Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex.