Morgan ers must be fired from ITV. Really, he should have been released from his job as co-presenter in Good morning Great Britain a long time ago. But this week’s events look like the last straw. His regular attacks on Meghan Markle – a woman he barely knows but seems to be obsessed with – became increasingly vile before Markle and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah. Now, he accused Markle of lying about her experience of having suicidal thoughts while pregnant with her son, Archie, when she was overwhelmed by the press intrusion into her personal life.
“I don’t believe a word of what she says,” said Morgan in response to Markle’s comments. “I wouldn’t believe it if she read me a weather report.” He then condemned her for triggering a “violent attack” of criticism against the royal family.
To dismiss the struggles of anyone with mental health is terrible, but doing so on national TV – for a woman the world has seen suffer from an unprecedented level of scrutiny, vitriol and racism – is absolutely dangerous. Following Morgan’s claim that he did not believe Markle, a viral tweet read: “Meghan won’t see you tweeting that you don’t believe she was suicidal – but your friends who were suicidal will.” Almost a year after the suicide of Love Island host Caroline Flack, it is indefensible that ITV – which runs a Get Britain Talking mental health campaign – took so long to respond.
Today (Tuesday, March 9), ITV CEO Carolyn McCall was asked about Morgan’s behavior during a media call for ITV’s 2020 earnings. She revealed that Kevin Lygo, ITV’s managing director of media and entertainment, is “handling this as we speak”, but did not comment on whether Morgan would be punished or supported for his outbursts. “The most important thing with the mental health that ITV does and with which it is totally committed is that we support it, we make people talk, we listen, we say that everyone should listen and everyone should believe, because that’s how you take the people talking, ”she said. “So we are very committed to that.”
In this morning’s episode of GMB, Morgan did not apologize, instead said: “I still have serious concerns about the truth of much of what she said. But let me just state my position on mental illness and suicide for the record.
“Mental illness and suicide are clearly very serious things and must be taken very seriously and if someone is feeling that way, they should seek the treatment and help they need all the time. If they belong to an institution like the royal family and are looking for that help, they should receive it. It is not for me to question whether she felt suicidal, I was not in her mind and that is for her to say. “
He then doubled up on his earlier criticisms of Markle and said: “My real concern was disbelief frankly and I am prepared to be proved that I am wrong in this and if I am wrong, it is a scandal that she sought out a veteran member of the royal household. , I told them that she was suicidal and that she couldn’t have any help because it would look bad for the family. ”
(PAN)
The journalist should not be the only one in the headlines. But Morgan has always thought of himself as a celebrity, despite spending a lot of time attacking pop culture. In an interview for this same publication, more than 20 years ago, Morgan was hailed as a master of self-advertising. “I became the friend of the stars, an unrestrained egomaniac, portrayed all the time with famous people – Madonna, Stallone, Bowie, Paul McCartney, hundreds of them,” he boasted of his early career in showbiz reporting.
That ego – along with the kind of illusory self-confidence that goes with being a heterosexual, wealthy, privately educated white man – helped Morgan move up the ranks to one of the biggest spots on TV. From then on, he was given free rein to attack, insult and berate his guests, rarely allowing them a real opportunity to speak. Because it’s not really Good morning Great Britain, that’s it? That is The Piers Morgan Show.
During the pandemic, Morgan made a considerable effort to reinvent himself as a “people’s man”, someone who calls attention to hypocrisy and selfish behavior at a time when we should be “all together”. He told Laurence Fox to “shut up” after the actor and now mayoral candidate boasted that he had a “large group” of friends for lunch, in an apparent violation of the blocking rules. He called Rita Ora “selfish” for throwing a birthday party for her and her celebrity friends, when she should be isolating herself after a trip to Egypt. When it comes to his campaign against Markle, though, he can’t help but let the mask slip away. And man, it’s ugly underneath.
Five years ago, he went to have a drink with Markle the night before she met Harry. Apparently, she decided she no longer wanted to associate with Morgan (I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t want to be the best friend of a notoriously greedy and advertising-hungry journalist). Morgan’s reaction to this rejection was to spend the next five years attacking and embarrassing her in public. It is amazing that he is allowed to spill so much toxic bile on her from such a large and authoritarian platform, given her clear personal prejudice. How does this not constitute public harassment?
Most women found a man like Piers Morgan. Maybe you had a first date and you didn’t feel a connection. But when you politely refused to meet again, he was unpleasant. “You didn’t seem to feel that way when you let me buy you drinks.” “You tricked me.” “Bitch.” It is difficult to put into words the panic that women feel when they need to try to reject a man’s advances. Sometimes the fear is so great that you spend the next few weeks walking home with the keys between your knuckles, should they show up at your home. You consider the possibility that they might try to embarrass you on social media or contact your friends to tell them that you are a horrible person. The latter happened to a close friend last month. This right, that men somehow owe the continued attention of women because they were nice to them, is what viewers are watching every morning from 6:30 am to 7 am on national television.
Piers Morgan leaves GMB after criticism from Alex Beresford
BBC Radio 1 host Clara Amfo pointed out that “it must be good” for Morgan to be able to escape a live TV broadcast because his half-breed colleague Alex Beresford was calling him – in a thoughtful and intellectual way – about his attacks to Markle. All the while knowing that his work would still be there when he deigned to return.
What does Morgan really offer viewers? He doesn’t report. He doesn’t get involved. It does not encourage intelligent discussion. He is there purely for the most vile type of entertainment – a screaming, stammering man who has no interest in anyone but himself. Perhaps he was really annoyed to be called by Beresford. But he is also astutely aware that such stunts receive ratings. And while there is some truth in us – the public and the media – being guilty of giving him the attention he craves, it does not absolve the people who are paying him to do so.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can get confidential support and advice from Samaritans, 24-7, by calling 116 123 or by sending an email to [email protected].