Piers Morgan Exits UK Morning Show After Controversial Meghan Markle Comments

Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain (Credit: ITV)

Piers Morgan stepped down from his job as host of ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, just hours after he stormed off set during a heated debate about Meghan Markle.

ITV News linked to a statement on Twitter, saying: “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.”

Morgan is no stranger to controversy in the U.K. or the U.S., where he hosted a nightly show on CNN from 2011-2014.

The BBC reports Morgan’s departure from GMB came after Britain’s Office of Communications said it was investigating the embattled host because it received 41,000 complaints about his comments this week on Markle.

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Earlier today, Morgan walked off set as co-host Alex Beresford called him out for brushing off Markle’s allegations of racism in the royal family.

“I understand that you got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle, or had one, and she cut you off. She’s entitled to cut you off if she wants to. Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don’t think she has but yet you continue to trash her,” GMB weather forecaster Beresford said.

Morgan was having none of it. He got out of his chair and walked off set while saying, “OK. I’m done with this. Sorry. No. Sorry. You can trash me mate, but not on my own show.”

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Beresford responded, “This is absolutely diabolical behavior. I’m sorry, but Piers spouts off on a regular basis, and we all have to sit there and listen—6:30 to 7:00 yesterday was incredibly hard to watch.”

Before the announcement of his departure, Morgan jumped on Twitter to give more insight into why he walked off set. He replied back to a Twitter user who called his behavior a “ratings stunt,” and he countered that it was “real.”

Morgan had another jaw-dropping moment the day before during a heated debate about Markle and the royal family with Black activist and lawyer Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu.

The “This is Why I Resist: Don’t Define My Black Identity” author called the TV host a “liar and a disgrace,” and schooled him on national television.

“Listen, you might learn something,” she told Morgan. “The royal family as an institution is rooted in colonialism, White supremacy and racism. The legacy’s right there. So you’re now surprised that a comment would have been made by several members of the royal family about how dark Archie’s skin is.”

While Morgan kept trying to interrupt her, Mos-Shogbamimu did not back down.

“You’re more outraged that Harry and Meghan had the audacity to speak their truth than you should be at the actual outrage of racism,” she continued.

The confrontation came in response to Meghan and Prince Harry’s bombshell claims during a sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey Sunday night on CBS, which pulled in over 17 million viewers across the U.S. The special aired in Britain Monday night on ITV.

Watch a clip below of Morgan storming off the Good Morning Britain set.