Category Archives: good morning britain

Piers Morgan Brands Good Morning Britain Exit ‘Absurd’, ‘Ridiculous’ And ‘A Farce’

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Piers Morgan has reflected on his departure from Good Morning Britain last year, as he prepares for the launch of his new nightly show on TalkTV.

After five years at the helm of GMB, Piers announced suddenly in March 2021 that he would be stepping down as host with immediate effect.

News of his exit came the day after he made headlines for casting doubt on claims made by Meghan Markle that she had experienced suicidal thoughts during her time as a senior member of the Royal Family, with Piers’ remark eventually inciting a record number of complaints to Ofcom.

More recently, it was confirmed that Piers has reunited with his former employer Rupert Murdoch, to front a nightly show on TalkTV which will begin later this month.

During a press event to promote his show Piers Morgan Uncensored, the divisive broadcaster was asked about his exit from GMB, which he branded “ridiculous”, “absurd” and “a farce”.

“I used to think that I was uncensored,” he claimed. “And then, of course, when I left Good Morning Britain it turned out that I actually was being censored, in the sense that I was told I had to apologise for disbelieving Princess Pinochio, or I would have to leave the building. So I took the ‘leave the building’ option.”

He described the decision as a “sad moment” for himself, the show and his “poor TV wife” Susanna Reid, joking: “It was a very dramatic divorce. And I thought it was the wrong call by ITV.

“They had the hottest show on TV, it had just beaten the BBC to become the number one-rated breakfast show in the country. I wasn’t expecting a carriage clock, but I wasn’t expecting to be escorted out of the building. So it was all a bit dramatic.”

Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid pictured on his final day as a presenter on GMB
Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid pictured on his final day as a presenter on GMB

ITV/Shutterstock

He continued: “It’s interesting to me that Ofcom, the government-appointed TV regulator, five months later, found in my favour, and said that it would have been a chilling infringement on my rights to free speech had I not been able to say, ‘I don’t believe somebody’. So the whole thing seemed to me a bit ridiculous.”

As complaints about Piers’ conduct flooded in to Ofcom, it was reported that the Duchess of Sussex had also filed an official complaint to ITV, which the former Britain’s Got Judge has now blasted as an example of “cancel culture”.

He said: “The moment you try and get me fired, as Megan Markle did on Good Morning Britain, where she personally writes to the boss of ITV and demands my head on a plate, that is cancel culture right there. And the idea that ITV rolled over to it is ridiculous.

“But that’s why I’m here, and I feel, in a way, grateful to them, because I think this is a very exciting new platform and opportunity.”

Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle

NDZ/Star Max via Getty Images

“The mystery about the ITV thing was that I was hired specifically to have strongly-held opinions,” he added. “So, that’s why I felt the way I had to leave in the end was so absurd. And the more you look back on it, the more you go, ‘what was that all about?’.

“I thought the whole thing was a farce, and I’m delighted that as a result of the farce, we’ve ended up with a whole network that is now dedicated to preventing that kind of farce from recurring.”

Making a somewhat questionable comparison, Piers added that he felt “like Nelson Mandela when he came out of prison”, joking: “It’s like the long walk to free speech freedom.”

Piers went on to insist that he would not be “looking to steal Good Morning Britain viewers”, before throwing some shade at the daytime TV show, which has brought in a string of rotating guest hosts since Piers’ exit.

“I would be looking to pick up all those who’ve stopped watching [GMB],” he claimed. “Which, judging by when I walk around and judging by their ratings, is a lot of people.

“So if you loved Good Morning Britain when I was on it, and you miss me in that way, you know where to find me. There are a lot of people who I think were annoyed about what went down. And they’d be the ones I’d be after.”

Piers Morgan in the GMB studio
Piers Morgan in the GMB studio

Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

Since stepping down from GMB over a year ago, Piers has made a number of seemingly conflicting comments about the nature of his exit.

While he initially said that his departure was “amicable” and that it was his own decision to leave, he later blamed “cancel culture” for him “losing” his GMB role.

The morning after the news of his exit, Piers told reporters: “I had a good chat with ITV and we agreed to disagree. I’m just going to take it easy and see how we go.

“If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly-held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it,” he added at the time.

More recently, Piers admitted his departure from GMB had been a “bruising” experience.

“Effectively I was censored at my previous job,” he claimed. “[I was] told to apologise to Meghan Markle for an honestly-held opinion, which obviously I wasn’t going to do.”

Piers Morgan Uncensored will launch on TalkTV at 8pm on Monday 25 April.

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Piers Morgan Opens Up About ‘Bruising’ Good Morning Britain Exit

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Piers Morgan has spoken out about his much-publicised exit from Good Morning Britain, admitting he found his departure a “bruising” experience.

The former daytime star quit GMB in March 2021, after casting doubt on claims made by Meghan Markle that she had experienced suicidal thoughts during her time as a senior member of the Royal Family.

He announced he was immediately stepping down on the same night Ofcom announced they would be launching an investigation about his remarks, with the TV watchdog eventually receiving a record number of complaints about the incident, including one from the Duchess herself.

Ofcom ruled six months later that the broadcast was not in breach of their code, with Piers having now landed new roles as a presenter on an upcoming talkTV show and a columnist in The Sun.

Speaking to the tabloid a week before the launch of his column, Piers said: “The column is called Uncensored because it does what it says on the tin.

“Effectively I was censored at my previous job and told to apologise to Meghan Markle for an honestly-held opinion, which obviously I wasn’t going to do.”

Alongside a few predictable jibes at the Duchess of Sussex, Piers added: “It was a pretty bruising experience on Good Morning Britain but I’m now working somewhere where I’m free to express my opinions.”

HuffPost UK has contacted ITV for comment.

Piers presented Good Morning Britain for six years alongside Susanna Reid
Piers presented Good Morning Britain for six years alongside Susanna Reid

ITV/Shutterstock

Since he stepped down from GMB in March 2021 – following his infamous walk-off live on air – Piers has made a number of seemingly conflicting comments about the nature of his exit.

While he initially said that his departure was “amicable” and that it was his own decision to leave, he later blamed “cancel culture” for him “losing” his GMB role.

The morning after the news of his exit, Piers told reporters: “I had a good chat with ITV and we agreed to disagree. I’m just going to take it easy and see how we go.”

“If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly-held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it,” he added t the time.

After it was reported that Piers would not be invited back to GMB despite Ofcom’s ruling that his comments were not in breach of their code, the divisive presenter then insisted he wouldn’t return even if he were asked – unless ITV were to apologise to him publicly.

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Good Morning Britain Pulled From Christmas Schedules Over Covid Fears

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ITV has pulled planned episodes of Good Morning Britain from the Christmas schedules over Covid fears.

The breakfast show was due to air between 29 and 31 December, but bosses have axed the show “to protect our teams”.

The Sun reports that the show will air from 6am as planned for the rest of this week.

ITV confirmed that a special GMB Christmas Day show will also air from 7 to 9am.

A spokesperson said in a statement: “GMB was due to be on air from Weds 29 – Fri 31 December 2021 but due to the pandemic and to protect our teams, we have decided to give them an extended break.

“GMB will not broadcast next week, but will be back on air on Tues 4 Jan 2022.”

Monday’s edition of Good Morning Britain was presented by Adil Ray and Charlotte Hawkins.

Fellow star Sean Fletcher is currently in isolation after testing positive for the virus.

Regular host Susanna Reid is on a scheduled break at present, although she is set to feature on the Christmas Day edition.

Adil Ray and Ranvir Singh hosting the show last week
Adil Ray and Ranvir Singh hosting the show last week

Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

Lorraine Kelly’s self-titled breakfast show, which usually follows Good Morning Britain, faced last-minute changes on Monday.

It was forced to merge with GMB and share the same studio, as had been done during the first lockdown due to Covid.

Ranvir Singh, who is one of GMB’s main presenters, was also missing from her guest-hosting role on Lorraine, with Andi Peters drafted in to replace her.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.

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Christopher Biggins’ Past Comments About Bisexuality Resurface After GMB Superman Debate

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DC Comics/PA

Superman will come out as bisexual in a new comic book story

Twitter has been reminded of Christopher Biggins’ past comments about bisexual people, after the panto star was invited onto Wednesday’s edition of Good Morning Britain to discuss the news about Superman coming out as bisexual in a future comic.

Earlier this week, DC Comics confirmed that in an upcoming story, Superman – now the alter-ego of Clark Kent’s son, rather than the original superhero – would be seen having a romantic moment with a man.

On Wednesday morning, Biggins was invited to discuss the issue, where he voiced his disapproval, accusing the comic book creators of “pandering to the ‘woke system’”.

“If you want to do something like this, do something original,” he said. “Don’t take characters that already exist and make them into something that they’re not.”

Presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley then pointed out this story will take place within “the next generation” of Superman, with the latter pointing out: “It’s perfectly reasonable to think that the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane might well grow up to be bisexual. You say ‘why’, but why not?”

Doubling down, a slightly flustered Biggins responded: “Well… I mean… I just find it extraordinary. I do find it absolutely bizarre that this is what people want nowadays.

“Why can’t we stick to… in the future, why don’t they do some new characters? Why not create something new, something different? [Rather] than go to a character we all know and love and we all know as this, not that.”

After the clip was posted online, many spoke out against GMB for inviting Biggins to be part of the discussion, given he was removed from the Celebrity Big Brother house back in 2016 after making a series of remarks about bisexual people.

They also called out Biggins for not having done research on the story before speaking out about it on national television… 

During a discussion on sexuality during his time in the Big Brother house, Biggins received a warning for saying: “The worst type, though, is, I’m afraid to say, the bisexuals… what it is is people not wanting to admit they are gay.”

In a conversation later in the series, he also discussed HIV, claiming the virus was spread by bisexual people who had sex abroad, with infected people, before they “brought it back to their own families in America, and that’s how it became a worldwide disease”.

Biggins was eventually removed from the CBB house, following another comment he made about the Holocaust to housemate Katie Waissel, which Channel 5 chose not broadcast.

At the end of Wednesday’s GMB debate, podcast host Aamir Hassan outlined why he felt the Superman news was a “fantastic” development.

“For a lot of young people, they don’t have the privilege of coming out, and they’re in positions where they’re not able to come out and they’re not able to be themselves,” he explained. “And they look to media, they look to entertainment, they look to comic books, they look to these places for solace and to see themselves.

“And if even just one young person can see Superman’s son be bisexual and it helps them, I don’t see what the issue is. Representation and visibility don’t just change lives, they genuinely save lives.”

Good Morning Britain airs every weekday from 6am on ITV.

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Insulate Britain Protester Storms Off Good Morning Britain During Heated Interview With Richard Madeley And Susanna Reid

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An Insulate Britain protester took a leaf out of Piers Morgan’s book on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain when he stormed off the live show during a heated exchange with hosts Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid.

Campaigner Liam Norton was on the ITV morning show to talk about the protests that have seen activists shut down the M25 five times in just over a week.

Wednesday’s interview got off to a shaky start when Susanna asked Liam to stop patronising her.

“You’re an intelligent journalist,’ Liam said. “And you haven’t understood what I said last week about what we do in the next three to four years will determine the future of humanity.

Susanna retorted: “Liam, try not to be so patronising when you’re talking to me.”

Things then went from bad to worse when Richard stepped in to say that blocking the motorways puts the lives of others at risk.

“You’re not accepting the responsibility of your actions,” Richard told him.

“Well, if you say something stupid, I’ll cut you off,” Richard added. “The way you’re putting your argument is fatal, it has fatal consequences.”

Getting increasingly irate, Liam then launched into rant, stating: “We’ve been writing letters for 30 years. We’ve been writing petitions for 30 years. This is our line in the sand. We are demanding the government makes a meaningful statement to save the future of this country and if they refuse to do it then they can put us in prison.”

Liam then stood up and yelled: “I’ve had enough of talking to people in this country about what we’re doing. This is the state of things.” 

The Government is today seeking an injunction against the environmental group after police warned that their tactics on the M25 are likely to cause “serious injury or death”.

It comes as Home Secretary Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps vowed to ensure ‘guerrilla’ activists “cannot keep disrupting and endangering people’s lives”.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.

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Piers Morgan Teases ‘Interesting’ Job Offer After Ofcom’s Latest Ruling

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David M. Benett via Getty Images

Piers at the GQ Men Of The Year awards on Wednesday night

Piers hailed the ruling as a “resounding victory for free speech”, later telling reporters that job offers had “accelerated” since Ofcom’s decision.

“I have had loads of offers and they have accelerated in the last 10 hours, as you can imagine,” he explained.

“I will take my free speech campaign around the world and all I require is to have an employer who believes in it as passionately as I do.”

Noting that GMB’s ratings during his tenure as host made him a “valuable commodity”, Piers continued: “I’m considering some very interesting offers right now and I will make a decision quite soon.”

ITV/Shutterstock

Piers and Susanna Reid during his final GMB broadcast

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Lorraine Kelly Has A Prediction About Piers Morgan And Good Morning Britain

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Lorraine Kelly has said she has “no doubt” Piers Morgan will be back on Good Morning Britain.

The ITV presenter has spoken out amid speculation Piers could return to the channel’s breakfast show after making an abrupt exit earlier this year. 

Speaking to The Sun, Lorraine said: “He will be back in some shape or form, I have no doubt. I know nothing, but never count him out of anything.

ITV/Shutterstock

 Lorraine Kelly and Piers Morgan

Shutterstock/ITV

Piers Morgan on what would prove to be his penultimate episode of Good Morning Britain in March

Despite Piers’ controversial public profile, Lorraine maintains he is actually a big softie.

She said: “I have a lot of time for him. He’s very kind to me. He goes crazy when I say this – he doesn’t like me doing it – but he’s actually a really nice guy.

“He says to me ‘will you stop saying that I’m a nice person because it’s very bad for my brand’. That makes me want to do it even more!”

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Piers Morgan’s Wife Admits She Used To ‘Bitch’ About Him With Susanna Reid Behind His Back

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Piers Morgan’s wife Celia Walden has admitted that she used to “bitch” about her husband with his former Good Morning Britain co-host Susanna Reid.

Celia also revealed that she thinks Susanna – who was often described as Piers’ ‘long-suffering on-screen wife’ – did “the whole wife thing” better than her because she knew how to “manage” the divisive presenter.

Speaking to The Sun, Celia revealed: “We used to bitch about him behind his back together. In fact, I always felt she was ­better at the whole ‘wife’ thing than me. She was very good at ­managing him.”

Celia, who married Piers in 2010, also revealed what it was like living with Piers since he was axed from his job on GMB.

Richard YoungRichard Young/Shutterstock

Celia Walden, Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid

“Well, I always think of that famous quote, ‘Behind every great man, there’s a woman rolling her eyes’ — I am that woman,” she said.

“Being married to Piers is ­basically one very long eye roll. But what people don’t realise about Piers is that he’s usually very quiet at home because he’s exhausted himself on whatever interview he’s been doing.

“This is the only reason I am sad about him leaving GMB — well, that and the fact I wake up and there he is, staring back at me morning after morning.

“But really, he used to come back and by 9am was absolutely flattened, lying there on the sofa, catatonic, not bothering anyone.”

She added: “Unfortunately he’s got all his energy back now. Please, someone, just give him a job!

“But what’s extraordinary is that before it really was that Marmite thing with him — a split between those who loved or loathed him.

“But recently the attention has been 99.9 per cent positive. It’s been like walking around with a national ­treasure. Very odd.”

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Patsy Palmer Takes On Her Critics With Sweary Statement After Shutting Down Good Morning Britain Interview

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ITV

Patsy Palmer cut short an interview on Wednesday’s GMB

Revealing she was appearing to discuss her company, Good and Proper Hair, Patsy wrote under a previous Insta post: “My apologies to anyone that wants to hear good news as I have great faith that considering what is going on in the world right now there are still some people that do.

“I keep seeing people saying ‘get over yourself’, I have gotten over my old self years ago and no longer wish to discuss it when I only have 5 minutes air time

“I have been a people pleaser my whole life. I am not going to waste those precious 5 minutes talking about things that are 20 years old or about Meghan and Harry.

“If I do post things on social media in reaction to a TV show or an article I’ve read about something that’s my platform.

“I have always been very open and honest at certain times in my life as many people are forced to be in the public eye…

“I was supposed to be on there to talk about a new business that I created that couldn’t be more opposite to that headline.”

ITV

Patsy took offence to the strap line that appeared on screen

The former Bianca Jackson actor then hit out at “trolls and haters” who had criticised her actions.

“Go fuck yourselves,” she wrote. “I’ve worked hard on myself to remove negativity from my life and the lives of my children so if anyone has a problem with that you need to go and take a look at your lives and wonder what drives you to jump on here to attack me for standing my ground.

“If you are parents doing that then shame on you. I hope you find some joy amidst all the madness.”

Patsy had been speaking on GMB from her home in Malibu via video link, with Susanna asking about her life out in the US as her opening question.  

After noticing the offending strap line, she said: “You know what, actually, I don’t even want to do this interview because I don’t even want to look at what it says at the bottom of the screen,” she said. 

“So I’m going to switch off, do a real Piers Morgan, and just say that it’s not okay to have ‘addict to wellness guru’ at the bottom of the screen.

“My issues I had years ago, that were talked about by me many, many years ago and it’s over so I’m not going to talk about it.

“I don’t really want to talk to you,” she said, as she pulled down the lid of her laptop. 

Susanna and Ben tried to apologise, before throwing to a weather forecast. 

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV. 

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Alex Beresford Addresses Piers Morgan’s Good Morning Britain Exit

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Good Morning Britain presenter Alex Beresford has spoken out following former co-host Piers Morgan’s departure from the show.

On Tuesday morning, the two GMB stars were involved in a heated exchange live on air about Meghan Markle, in which Alex called out Piers’ comments about the Duchess of Sussex made the previous day.

This ended in Piers storming out of the studio, which Alex branded “pathetic” and “diabololical behaviour”.

Following the news that Piers has now left the show permanently, Alex has shared his thoughts on Twitter. 

ITV/Shutterstock

Alex Beresford

“There is so much that could be said,” he wrote, insisting that “Piers’ departure sincerely wasn’t the conclusion I was hoping for”.

Alex explained: “Over the lat few years, Piers and I have had a lively, cheeky on-air relationship.

“We both wanted to be on the show on Tuesday morning, and from our very public conversations on Twitter, we both knew how strongly our opinions differed on the treatment of Harry and Meghan pre and post the interview that has split the world.

“I hoped we could reach a place of understanding. It’s sad that we weren’t able to get there, but challenging this opinion was not an outrage. On this occasion, we have to agree to disagree.”

He added: “I didn’t want him to quit, but I did want him to listen. Personally, Piers has always supported my growth. He’s given me advice on several occasions and for that I am grateful. I wish him well!”

Alex previously tweeted, after his on-air exchange with Piers: “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.”

ITV faced calls to reprimand Piers Morgan after Monday’s show, when he cast doubt on Meghan Markle’s recent claims about her mental health and her experiences of racism after joining the Royal Family.

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe a word she says,” Piers said. “I wouldn’t believe her if she read me a weather report, and the fact that she’s fired up this onslaught against our royal family, I think is contemptible.”

It was later revealed Piers had sparked more than 40,000 complaints to Ofcom, after which it was announced he was leaving GMB effective immediately.

Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

Piers Morgan

Since the news of his departure was confirmed, the divisive presenter doubled down on his views on Twitter, later telling reporters: “I believe in freedom of speech, I believe in the right to be allowed to have an opinion. If people want to believe Meghan Markle, that’s entirely their right.

“I don’t believe almost anything that comes out of her mouth and I think the damage she’s done to the British monarchy and to the Queen at a time when Prince Philip is lying in hospital is enormous and frankly contemptible.

“If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly-held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it.”

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