Piers Morgan resigned as a co-host of “Good Morning Britain” following complaints over his criticisms of ex-royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The British television channel ITV announced Morgan’s departure on Tuesday following a Monday incident where the host briefly walked off set during a heated discussion over a number of allegations Harry and Markle made against the royal family.
“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,” ITV said in a statement, according to The Washington Post.
Morgan left the morning show following a flood of complaints over his criticism of Markle. ITV launched an investigation of Morgan following the outcry, according to the Associated Press.
On Sunday, Harry and Markle sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey in which the outcast royals made a number of damaging claims against the royal family and the institution of the monarchy. The couple claimed that Markle was a victim of racism at Buckingham Palace from the British tabloids. They also claimed that one unnamed member of the royal family expressed concerns over the color of their son Archie’s skin while Markle was pregnant.
Markle also claimed that the palace barred her from seeking treatment for suicidal thoughts while she was pregnant.
On Monday’s broadcast of “Good Morning Britain,” Morgan said he “didn’t believe a word” of what Markle claimed in the Winfrey interview. Morgan has long been a critic of Markle since she and Harry split from the royal family and moved to the United States to pursue private business ventures.
During a heated exchange with “Good Morning Britain” weatherman Alex Beresford, Morgan briefly walked off the set on live television. As The Daily Wire reported:
Beresford, who is also biracial, said Morgan has a grudge against Markle.
“I understand that you’ve got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle and she cut you off,” he said, according to The Daily Mail. “I understand that you don’t like Meghan Markle, you’ve made it so clear a number of times on this program, a number of times.”
“She’s entitled to cut you off if she wants to,” he added. “Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don’t think she has. But yet you continue to trash her.”
Beresford also defended Markle. “There was bad press around the engagement before the engagement and everything that has followed since has been incredibly damaging, quite clearly to Meghan’s mental health and also to Harry.”
Morgan then stormed off the live show, saying, “‘OK, I’m done with this. Sorry. You can trash me mate but not on my own show. See you later.” He came back a short time later and told Beresford that he would stay if they had a debate in a “civilized manner.”
“You launching into a pretty personally derogatory monologue on one of your colleagues probably isn’t one of the best ways to go about it,” Morgan said. “As much as I’d like to sit here taking abuse from you, that’s not going to happen.”