Piers Morgan updates – live: Alex Beresford speaks out after GMB presenter steps down

Morgan stepped down from the ITV daytime show after six years

Piers Morgan's most controversial moments on Good Morning Britain

It’s been a hectic 24 hours, with Piers Morgan quitting ITV’s Good Morning Britain shortly after he stormed off the set amid a clash over Meghan Markle.

On Tuesday evening (9 March), ITV announced that Morgan was stepping down as anchor of the morning show after six years.

The presenter’s departure came after both he and ITV attracted widespread criticism over comments he made about the Duchess of Sussex following her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, including that he “didn’t believe a word” she said about having suicidal thoughts during her time as a senior royal.

GMB’s Alex Beresford, with whom Morgan had a heated debate with during Tuesday’s show (9 March) prior to the announcement of his exit that evening, has said that “Piers’ departure sincerely wasn’t the conclusion I was hoping for”.

The weatherman added: “I didn’t want him to quit, but I did want him to listen.”

Morgan’s exit has prompted a mixed reaction from viewers with many people celebrating the presenter’s departure. However, an online petition urging ITV to reinstate Morgan in his position as co-anchor of GMB has reached over 22,000 signatures in just two days.

Sharon Osbourne has also spoken out in support of Morgan. During an appearance onThis Show yesterday (10 March), the former X-Factor judge tearfully defended the controversial presenter.

Others celebrities, however, have welcomed the news. Chelsea Handler recently shared a clip from a 2014 interview with Morgan, in which the pair engage in a heated conversation. The American comedian captioned it: “Some a**holes get better, some just stay the same.”

Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom received more than 41,000 complaints after Morgan claimed he did not believe that Markle had suffered from suicidal thoughts after being overwhelmed by press scrutiny into her personal life. ITV was also widely criticised for “allowing” Morgan to air these views while running their Britain Get Talking mental health campaign.

Following the backlash, Morgan later said he wanted to “clarify his position on mental health”. He added that his “disbelief” was over her claims that “she went to a senior member of the royal household, told them she was suicidal and was told she could not have any help because it would be a bad look for the family”.

Yesterday morning (10 March), GMB returned to screens without Morgan in his usual seat for the first time. Speaking about his decision, the 55-year-old revealed he is “in talks” regarding his presenting future, adding: “I’ll be back”.

You can relive all of the dramatic moments from the last 24 hours below, as well as some of the major talking points so far.

• Susanna Reid addresses Piers Morgan’s exit for the first time live on GMB
• ‘Your tears are weapons’: Sharon Osbourne criticised for tearful defence of Piers Morgan on The Talk
• Chelsea Handler calls out Piers Morgan in resurfaced video: ‘Some a**holes stay the same’
• ITV lost £300m in market value after Piers Morgan’s departure from GMB

Key Points

• Piers Morgan reportedly ‘in talks with people’ regarding his future, tells Meghan Markle to ‘stop trashing the royal family'
• ITV has lost more than £300m in market value following Morgan’s exit
• Markle’s close friend says there are ‘many texts and emails to support’ Markle’s statements about her mental health
• Resurfaced video sees Morgan claim he was ‘ghosted’ by Markle
• Petition to ‘bring back Piers Morgan’ reaches over 22,000 signatures in two days
• Alex Beresford says ‘Piers’ departure sincerely was not the conclusion I was hoping for'

[10 March 2021 14:30 · Annabel Nugent]

A European Tour golfer is the latest celebrity to take aim at Morgan following his exit from GMB.

Two-time European Tour winner and world number 169 Eddie Pepperell poked fun at the presenter, who stormed off the set of GMB yesterday (10 March) when he was criticised by co-star Alex Beresford over his “trashing” of Markle.

“I’d quite like to play with Piers Morgan in the Alfred Dunhill Links this year please,” he tweeted. “We both like to drink, we’re both pretty active on Twitter. And we both like to walk off when things aren’t going well.”

Pepperell infamously walked off the course at the 2019 Turkish Open and was subsequently disqualified from the tournament.

[10 March 2021 14:45 · Annabel Nugent]

Fox news anchor Megyn Kelly, who was interviewed by Morgan on Monday (9 March) about Markle’s Oprah Winfrey interview, has voiced her support for the presenter.

“I don’t know what has happened with Piers Morgan at GMB. What I do know is he and Susanna (Reid) have been a brilliant team that took risks and became must-watch TV,” she wrote.

“In an era of free speech being stifled everywhere, Piers fearlessly speaks his mind. We need more, not fewer like that in media.”

[10 March 2021 15:00 · Annabel Nugent]

In a similar vein to people hijacking #BringBackPiers, some users on social media have begun to co-opt #TeamPiers.

#TeamPiers is now trending on Twitter with a number of people using the hashtag to show support for the ex-GMB host. However, many others are using the hashtag to share images of piers.

One user wrote: “Piers for the win #TeamPiers” alongside an image of Brighton pier.

Another added: “Southend’s is superior though, right? longest pleasure pier in the world. #teampiers x”, while someone else said: “I love piers. Especially Central Pier in Blackpool #TeamPiers.”

A fourth person wrote: “I’m definitely #TeamPiers. Seaside piers that is.”

[10 March 2021 15:15 · Annabel Nugent]

If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues discussed in this article, you can contact Samaritans by calling 116 123, emailing jo@samaritans.org or visiting their website.

[10 March 2021 15:30 · Annabel Nugent]

A 2011 interview with Rosie O’Donnell – in which the US talk show host says she “banned Piers Morgan” from her show – has resurfaced.

O’Donnell told Access Hollywood that Morgan was not welcome on her self-titled talk show because “he banned Madonna for no reason when his show started, so I’m banning Piers Morgan!”

In December 2010, ahead of the premiere of his CNN talk show Piers Morgan Tonight, the presenter said that he never wanted to interview Madonna.

(Getty Images)

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Morgan said: “She’s too vegan for TV. We have Lady Gaga now. so Madonna is banned from my show.”

He added that he would prefer to interview Lindsay Lohan, Barack Obama or “whoever is in the news who is relevant and current”.

[10 March 2021 15:45 · Annabel Nugent]

The View’s Sunny Hostin has said that she believes Morgan’s “obsession” with Markle might be “based on his own fragility”.

The TV host reflected on Morgan’s decision to walk off the GMB set yesterday (9 March) after he was criticised by co-star Alex Beresford for “trashing” Markle.

She said: “Isn’t it interesting that Piers Morgan can walk away from a slightly uncomfortable situation, but Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan cannot walk away from more than a slightly uncomfortable situation that put her mental health and her life at risk?”

After playing a resurfaced 2018 interview in which Morgan claims he was “ghosted” by Markle after the pair struck up a friendship over Twitter in 2015, Hostin added: “So I suppose that his obsession with her is based on his own fragility, isn’t it?”

[10 March 2021 16:00 · Annabel Nugent]

If you are just joining us, here are the main points of what has happened so far:

• Susanna Reid addressed Morgan’s absence this morning on GMB
• Morgan told reporters that he will not be “cancelled” by the “woke crowd”
• Morgan said that he “fell on his sword” following exit from ITV show
• Presenter doubled down on criticism of Markle, stating “damage” done to the Queen and royal family is “frankly contemptible”
• A 2018 interview has resurfaced in which Morgan claims Markle “ghosted” him after meeting Prince Harry
• Markle’s close friend Janina Gavanker said that there are “many texts and emails to support” Markle’s statements that the royal household were aware of her mental health struggles
• ITV shares have fallen in the wake of Morgan’s exit from GMB
• The campaign to #BringBackPiers has been hijacked by people sharing images of piers on social media

[10 March 2021 16:15 · Annabel Nugent]

Morgan told reporters outside his London home earlier this morning that he will “re-emerge” from “temporary hibernation”.

He described his exit from GMB as “amicable”, adding: “I had a good chat with ITV and we agreed to disagree. I’m just going to take it easy and see how we go.”

[10 March 2021 16:30 · Annabel Nugent]

When Morgan was asked by ITV reporters what he would say to his GMB co-star Alex Beresford who criticised him for “trashing” Markle – which prompted Morgan to abruptly walk off set during the show yesterday (9 March) – the 55-year-old replied: “Good luck to him.”

[10 March 2021 16:47 · Joe Middleton]

Andrew Neil: ‘Piers would be a huge asset to GB News'

The rumour mill is in full-swing as to where Piers Morgan may end up next after his departure from Good Morning Britain.

One possible destination is GB News, an upcoming new current affairs TV channel. Andrew Neil, will host and nightly show on the yet-to-launched venture and has not denied they would be interested in Morgan’s services.

He told BBC News: “Piers would be a huge asset to GB News but we haven’t started any negotiations yet. We’d be delighted to talk to him. Could we find a role for Piers Morgan? Of course we could.”