Piers Morgan #

Introduction #

Piers Morgan (born 30 March 1965, Guildford, Surrey) is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer known for a combative, opinionated public style. He began his career in 1988 at the tabloid The Sun, was appointed editor of the News of the World by Rupert Murdoch in 1994 aged 29 — the youngest editor of a British national newspaper in more than half a century — and edited the Daily Mirror from 1995 until he was fired in 2004. As a presenter he fronted ITV’s Piers Morgan’s Life Stories (2009–2020) and CNN’s Piers Morgan Live (2011–2014), and co-presented ITV’s flagship morning show Good Morning Britain from 2015 to 2021 alongside Susanna Reid. In March 2021 he stormed off the Good Morning Britain set and quit the show after saying he did not believe Meghan Markle’s claims in her televised interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which the Duchess of Sussex said she had suffered suicidal thoughts.

Background Information #

Morgan became a permanent Good Morning Britain co-host in November 2015 after guest-hosting five episodes that April, and he often clashed with Reid, who said of her colleague: “You can’t help but go into battle with him every morning.” The roots of the 2021 row lay in his relationship with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. He was briefly her friend before she married Prince Harry, but said she cut him off early in her relationship with the prince, and he became a regular critic of the couple, alleging the couple were hypocrites and the Duchess a social climber. When they stepped back from official royal duties in early 2020, he called them “the two most spoiled brats in history” and added: “Only surprised it took her so long to get Harry to ditch his family, the monarchy, the military and his country. What a piece of work.” His remarks had already drawn regulator complaints: Ofcom received 70 complaints over his 2016 interview about gay marriage and 1,095 in January 2020 after he mocked a Chinese dairy advert on air.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

In the interview Oprah with Meghan and Harry, broadcast in the UK on Monday 8 March 2021, the Duchess spoke of her mental health issues, which included suicidal thoughts, and she and Harry alleged that members of the extended royal family had made racist comments. On Good Morning Britain on 8 and 9 March, Morgan said he doubted the accuracy of her account.

On 9 March, a heated on-air argument with weather presenter Alex Beresford — who accused Morgan of “absolutely diabolical” treatment of Meghan — ended with Morgan walking off the set. “She’s entitled to cut you off if she wants to,” Beresford told him. “Has she said anything about you after she cut you off? I don’t think she has, but yet you continue to trash her.” Later that day ITV announced his exit: “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.”

Shortly before the announcement Morgan tweeted an image of a ticking grandfather clock; afterwards he posted a picture of himself with his late manager John Ferriter and wrote “He’d have told me to do exactly the same thing. @GMB”, adding the hashtag #TrustYourGut. In his own statement he refused to back down: “On Monday, I said I didn’t believe Meghan Markle in her Oprah interview. I’ve had time to reflect on this opinion, and I still don’t. Freedom of speech is a hill I’m happy to die on.”

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The UK mental health charity Mind expressed “disappointment” at Morgan’s comments, saying people with mental health issues should be “treated with dignity, respect and empathy.” ITV’s chief executive, Carolyn McCall, said she “completely believes” what the Duchess said and encouraged people to speak up over mental health. ITV News reported that the Duchess complained directly to McCall about Morgan’s remarks, and Ofcom received a complaint from her.

After receiving 41,015 complaints, Ofcom launched an investigation on 9 March into his remarks about the Duchess’s mental health. The watchdog confirmed on 12 March that the Duchess herself had complained, and by 17 March the tally had reached 57,000, breaking Ofcom’s record. Morgan remained defiant: “Only 57,000? I’ve had more people than that come up and congratulate me in the street for what I said. The vast majority of Britons are right behind me.” In his final week the show surpassed BBC Breakfast’s ratings for the first time, while ITV lost almost £200m in market value after his departure. Broadcaster Andrew Neil called the departure “a pity” — Morgan had brought “energy, dynamism and controversy” to the morning schedule — and actor Steve Coogan described him as “symptomatic of the problem” with the British tabloid media, accusing him of “bullying behaviour”.

Current Status #

Ofcom cleared ITV of wrongdoing in September 2021, concluding that restricting Morgan’s views would be a “chilling restriction” on freedom of speech, though the regulator criticised his “apparent disregard” for the subject of suicide. Morgan called the ruling “a resounding victory for free speech and a resounding defeat for Princess Pinocchios.” He rejoined The Sun in 2022, launched the TalkTV show Piers Morgan Uncensored (2022–2024), moved the programme to YouTube in 2024, and has continued his attacks on the couple — in November 2023 he named two senior royals he alleged had discussed the colour of Meghan’s unborn baby’s skin during the interview.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The walk-off ended Morgan’s six-year run as co-host of Britain’s most-watched breakfast news programme, but it did not end his career — if anything, it solidified his self-image as a free-speech martyr. Andrew Neil expressed interest in recruiting him for GB News, though he later said the talks collapsed over a disagreement about Morgan’s worth. In June 2023 he won an Interview of the Year award and thanked Meghan, saying “I wouldn’t be standing here” without her. March 2021 nonetheless left a permanent mark on his reputation: a record-breaking 57,000 complaints, a regulator investigation, and an Ofcom ruling that vindicated his right to speak while admonishing his “apparent disregard” for suicide — the comments about Meghan’s mental health, and his defiant exit, became the defining episode of his broadcasting career.