Piers Morgan asks ‘do I get my job back’ as Ofcom clears ITV’s Good Morning Britain over his comments about Meghan Markle

Ofcom has found ITV’s Good Morning Britain was not in breach of the broadcasting code over Piers Morgan’s controversial comments about the Duchess of Sussex.
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Morgan, who sparked a record number of complaints after saying live on air that he did not believe claims made by Meghan during her interview with Oprah Winfrey, took to Twitter following Ofcom’s ruling to ask: “Do I get my job back?”

The presenter, who left GMB in March following a backlash, called it “a resounding victory for free speech” after the watchdog judged he was “entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s allegations and to hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account”.

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During the bombshell interview, Meghan, 40, said she was ignored when raising concerns about her mental health and suicidal thoughts and alleged that racist comments had been made before the birth of her son, Archie.

Discussing the interview on the morning programme the following day, Morgan said: “I’m sorry, I don’t believe a word she says.

“I wouldn’t believe her if she read me a weather report.”

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The episode on March 8 became the most complained about moment in the watchdog’s history, with more than 50,000 people complaining, and it emerged that Meghan had made a formal complaint to ITV about Morgan.

Good Morning Britain was not in breach of the broadcasting code over Piers Morgan's comments about the Duchess of Sussex's interview with Oprah Winfrey, Ofcom has said.Good Morning Britain was not in breach of the broadcasting code over Piers Morgan's comments about the Duchess of Sussex's interview with Oprah Winfrey, Ofcom has said.
Good Morning Britain was not in breach of the broadcasting code over Piers Morgan's comments about the Duchess of Sussex's interview with Oprah Winfrey, Ofcom has said.

Ofcom said his comments were “potentially harmful and highly offensive” but were thoroughly challenged by Morgan’s co-host Susanna Reid and ITV News’ royal editor Chris Ship during the programme.

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The judgment said: “The code allows for individuals to express strongly held and robustly argued views, including those that are potentially harmful or highly offensive, and for broadcasters to include these in their programming.

“The restriction of such views would, in our view, be an unwarranted and chilling restriction on freedom of expression both of the broadcaster and the audience.”

Following the ruling, Morgan tweeted: “I’m delighted Ofcom has endorsed my right to disbelieve the Duke & Duchess of Sussex’s incendiary claims to Oprah Winfrey, many of which have proven to be untrue.

“This is a resounding victory for free speech and a resounding defeat for Princess Pinocchios. Do I get my job back?”

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Morgan has said he was told by ITV to either apologise for what he said or leave the show with immediate effect.

Writing in his Mail Online column on Wednesday, he said: “I was reliably informed recently that Meghan Markle wrote directly to my ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall the night before I was forced out, demanding my head on a plate.

“Apparently, she stressed that she was writing to Dame Carolyn personally because they were both women and mothers – a nauseating playing of the gender and maternity card if ever there was one.

“What has the world come to when a whiny fork-tongued actress can dictate who presents a morning television news programme?”

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Touting the ruling as a victory over “cancel culture”, he wrote: “This is not about me, or Meghan Markle.

“It’s about free speech and the right to have an opinion.

“We now live in a woke-ravaged era where it’s become a punishable offence to say what you really think about almost anything for fear that someone, somewhere, will be offended.”

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