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Piers Morgan leaves ITV’s “Good Morning Britain” morning show after bouncing back comments Monday about Meghan Markle.
The news comes shortly after British broadcast regulator Ofcom said it was investigating Morgan after more than 41,000 people complained.
“After discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided that now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain,” the network said in a statement on Tuesday. “ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing else to add.”
A few hours earlier, Morgan was called by co-host Alex Beresford to “Good Morning Britain” for his behavior with the Duchess of Sussex. Beresford said Morgan has relentlessly criticized Meghan in recent years and cited comments that Morgan cast doubt on Meghan’s veracity when talking about her suicidal thoughts.
“I understand you don’t like Meghan Markle,” Beresford told Morgan. “You’ve made it so clear several times on this show. Several times. And I understand you have a personal relationship with Meghan Markle or you had one and she interrupted you. She’s entitled to cut you if she wants to. since he cut you? I don’t think he did, but you still keep tearing him down. “
The air incident caused Morgan to leave the beach.
Beresford called him, saying the move was “pathetic.”
“This is absolutely diabolical behavior,” Beresford added with Morgan off-camera. “I’m sorry, but Piers explodes regularly and we all have to sit there and listen: from 6.30am to 7am yesterday it was incredibly hard to see, incredibly hard to see.”
Morgan reappeared on the set later in the show and backed away from some of the statements he made about Meghan, clarifying that it was not his position to question her mental health.
The station’s most recent comments about Meghan are related to an explosive interview she and Prince Harry did with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in the United States on Sunday and the United Kingdom on Monday. More than 17.1 million people in the state tuned in to the event and more than 12 million viewers watched the UK broadcast, according to figures released by ITV on Tuesday.
The interview delved into the reasons why the couple decided to leave England and move away from their royal duties. Meghan and Harry addressed what they said was the lack of support Meghan received when she went to the palace for mental health issues, the denial of safety protection for the family and the concerns of some members of the real family about what would be the skin tone of their son Archie once he was born.
Queen Elizabeth said on Tuesday that the royal family would address allegations of racism made by Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex at Buckingham Palace.