Controversial TV personality Piers Morgan has dramatically quit Good Morning Britain after the host drew a record 41,000 complaints for saying he did not believe Meghan Markle's mental health issues led her to contemplate suicide.
Following a whirlwind of events, ITV released a statement [via Deadline] today saying the former CNN anchor has left the popular British morning show.
"Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain," it reads. "ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add."
It's unclear, however, whether Morgan was asked to step down or if he quit on his own volition.
The sudden turn of events is due to Morgan's comments earlier this week about Markle following her explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey this weekend, with Markle saying at one point that situation with the UK press got so bad that she "didn't want to be alive anymore."
While discussing the Oprah interview and Markle's suicide comments during Good Morning Britain, Morgan then said, "I don't believe a word she says, Meghan Markle. I wouldn't believe her if she read me a weather report."
His comments quickly led to more than 41,000 complaints to UK media regulator Ofcom, easily making Good Morning Britain the most-complained about program in a decade. As a result, Ofcom is now set to investigate whether Morgan broke any broadcasting rules with his comments.
Even Morgan's co-host Susanna Reid wasn't impressed by his comments, calling them a "pathetic reaction."
Today Morgan tried to do some damage control on Good Morning Britain, but obviously that wasn't enough for him to save his job as host.
He said, "When we talked about this yesterday, I said an all-encompassing thing I still don't believe what Meghan Markle says generally in this interview and I have serious concerns about the veracity of a lot of what she said. But let me just state my position on mental illness and on suicide.
"On mental illness and suicide, these are clearly extremely serious things and should be taken extremely seriously and if someone is feeling that way they should get the treatment and the help that they need every time. Every time. And if they belong to an institution like the royal family they should seek that help and be given it. It's not for me to question if she felt suicidal I am not in her mind and that is for her to say."
But the program then also found Morgan storming off the set of Good Morning Britain when co-star Alex Beresford called Morgan's conduct as "diabolical behaviour."
As Beresford put it: "I'm sorry, but Piers spouts off on a regular basis and we all have to sit there and listen. Six-thirty to seven o'clock yesterday was incredibly hard to watch. Incredibly hard to watch… He has the ability to come in here and talk from a position where he doesn't fully understand."
As of press time, Morgan has issued no comment about being let go from Good Morning Britain.
Following a whirlwind of events, ITV released a statement [via Deadline] today saying the former CNN anchor has left the popular British morning show.
"Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain," it reads. "ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add."
It's unclear, however, whether Morgan was asked to step down or if he quit on his own volition.
The sudden turn of events is due to Morgan's comments earlier this week about Markle following her explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey this weekend, with Markle saying at one point that situation with the UK press got so bad that she "didn't want to be alive anymore."
While discussing the Oprah interview and Markle's suicide comments during Good Morning Britain, Morgan then said, "I don't believe a word she says, Meghan Markle. I wouldn't believe her if she read me a weather report."
His comments quickly led to more than 41,000 complaints to UK media regulator Ofcom, easily making Good Morning Britain the most-complained about program in a decade. As a result, Ofcom is now set to investigate whether Morgan broke any broadcasting rules with his comments.
Even Morgan's co-host Susanna Reid wasn't impressed by his comments, calling them a "pathetic reaction."
Today Morgan tried to do some damage control on Good Morning Britain, but obviously that wasn't enough for him to save his job as host.
He said, "When we talked about this yesterday, I said an all-encompassing thing I still don't believe what Meghan Markle says generally in this interview and I have serious concerns about the veracity of a lot of what she said. But let me just state my position on mental illness and on suicide.
"On mental illness and suicide, these are clearly extremely serious things and should be taken extremely seriously and if someone is feeling that way they should get the treatment and the help that they need every time. Every time. And if they belong to an institution like the royal family they should seek that help and be given it. It's not for me to question if she felt suicidal I am not in her mind and that is for her to say."
But the program then also found Morgan storming off the set of Good Morning Britain when co-star Alex Beresford called Morgan's conduct as "diabolical behaviour."
As Beresford put it: "I'm sorry, but Piers spouts off on a regular basis and we all have to sit there and listen. Six-thirty to seven o'clock yesterday was incredibly hard to watch. Incredibly hard to watch… He has the ability to come in here and talk from a position where he doesn't fully understand."
As of press time, Morgan has issued no comment about being let go from Good Morning Britain.
