Piers Morgan has revealed that he was asked – and refused – to “apologize” for his comments about Meghan Markle, sparking his exit from Good Morning Britain. Piers Morgan has railed against cancel culture and “woke” liberals in a lengthy account appearing in the UK’s Mail on Sunday newspaper.
Morgan left Good Morning Britain earlier this month after saying he didn’t believe many things Meghan Markle had noted in her shocking Oprah Winfrey interview. He was writing at length for the first time since his divisive comments about the Duchess of Sussex.
The piece gave a moment-by-moment account of what led to his departure from GMB.
“I expected such disingenuous, self-serving wrecking-ball stuff from a social-climbing Hollywood actress like Ms. Markle, but for Harry to publicly shred his family and the Monarchy like this, while Prince Philip was seriously ill in hospital is so out of character for a man who once bravely served his Queen and country in war,” Morgan said at the beginning of his column, adding that when he went on air later that morning after watching the interview, he was “angry to the point of boiling over”.
Morgan said people have unfairly called him “racist” and have wrongfully accused him of saying he didn’t believe Meghan felt suicidal. He clarified that he found some of Meghan’s claims – such as someone commenting on baby Archie’s skin color and not being allowed to get help for depression – hard to believe.
He added that Prince Harry should have been able to get help for Meghan as he has spoken previously about quietly seeking mental health help for himself in the past.
“Once you know someone’s lying, how can you believe anything else they’re saying without hard evidence?” Morgan explained.
After the interview, he said his white skin color was used as a “weapon” against him over the racism claims.
“It appears that questioning Meghan’s fork-tongued ‘truth’ is now a racist hate crime,” he complained, noting that he’s never said anything racist about her.
He claimed Meghan had been treated no worse than other royal brides, “but she’s the first to claim negative press has been motivated by racism, and it’s a hazardous charge to make with so little to back it up”.
He said he was told by his ITV network bosses he needed to clarify his comments on the air, and weatherman Alex Beresford privately told Morgan he needed to understand the perspective from a bi-racial person, so Morgan asked that Beresford is on the show the following day to debate it on-air.
Beresford then launched into what Morgan called a “censorious lecture” on the show, claiming the only reason Morgan said he didn’t believe Meghan was because she “ghosted” him a few years ago.
Morgan said he couldn’t care less about her but had seen her drop other people and found the experience “informative” about her character.
He admitted angrily walking off the show after his argument with Beresford was a mistake, though, calling himself the “great snowflake-basher running away from confrontation”.
Beresford has subsequently replaced Morgan on the show.
“Sadly, this is where we’ve arrived in society – the truth can be whatever someone decides it is, so Meghan Markle must be believed because it’s ‘her truth’. And if you don’t believe her, you’re a racist,” he wrote. He later returned to the show to say he still didn’t believe what she said but clarified that mental illness should be taken very seriously.
Morgan said he was told he needed to apologize or he would have to leave the show. After much reflection, he decided not to apologize because he said the ability to disagree with someone you don’t believe is the “essence of freedom of speech”. “And even if I did apologize, that wouldn’t be the end. The woke brigade would keep coming for me, demanding I apologize for everything else they find offensive – which, of course, is everything,” he added.
He called his ITV boss back to say he wouldn’t apologize and agreed he would leave the show.
“This took real guts, knowing it would enrage the ultra-woke crowd in Hollywood where she lives and works,” he wrote. Osbourne has paid a “heavy price” for publicly supporting him, he admitted, as she was forced to leave her show The Talk. He said he’s had many people say they’re sad he left the show and added that one of his proudest achievements was finally beating the BBC rival morning show on his last day.
