Piers Morgan’s GMB rant about Meghan and Harry is now most complained about TV ever
Watch: Piers Morgan's GMB rant sees highest Ofcom complaints ever
Piers Morgan’s rant on Good Morning Britain about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey has become the most complained about TV ever according to Ofcom figures.
The controversial TV presenter quit the ITV show in a dramatic fashion following an on-air row with colleague Alex Beresford over his comments about the former royals.
And now, Ofcom reports show that his rant about the Duchess of Sussex resulted in a staggering 57,121 complaints across two days of broadcasting on the 8 and 9 March. This makes it the most complained about TV in history, surpassing the 44,500 complaints Ofcom received in 2007 relating to bullying allegations on Celebrity Big Brother.
Last week, Ofcom received 41,015 complaints about Morgan's comments which instantly sparked an investigation.
Read: Alex Beresford says he 'didn't want' Piers Morgan to quit Good Morning Britain
A spokesperson said: "We have launched an investigation into Monday's episode of Good Morning Britain under our harm and offence rules."
We have launched an investigation into Monday’s episode of Good Morning Britain under our harm and offence rules.
As of 14:00 on Tuesday 9 March, we have received 41,015 complaints about the programme.— Ofcom (@Ofcom) March 9, 2021
After announcing his departure from ITV, Morgan said he had "trusted his gut" and that he still did not believe the Duchess of Sussex had suffered from suicidal thoughts and that "freedom of speech is a hill [he] is happy to die on".
Commenting outside his London home about his departure from the show after six years, he vowed to return to the airwaves.
“I think it’s fair to say, although the woke crowd will think that they’ve cancelled me, I think they will be rather disappointed when I re-emerge," he said. "I would call it a temporary hibernation.”
Read more: Piers Morgan warns 'hypocrites' that he is watching and will retaliate after GMB exit
He added that he is “always in talks with people”.
Following his exit, he has been heavily linked with a job on new channel GB News, chaired by Andrew Neil, who admitted the station were very keen on Piers, describing him as a "huge asset" during an interview on This Morning.
He described his departure from the programme as “amicable”, adding: “I had a good chat with ITV and we agreed to disagree.
He said: “I believe in freedom of speech, I believe in the right to be allowed to have an opinion. If people want to believe Meghan Markle, that’s entirely their right,"
“I don’t believe almost anything that comes out of her mouth and I think the damage she’s done to the British monarchy and to the Queen at a time when Prince Philip is lying in hospital is enormous and frankly contemptible.
"If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly-held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it.” Morgan defiantly stated.
Watch: Piers responds to critics
