Piers Morgan breaks Ofcom complaints record with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex comments

Piers Morgan has broken Ofcom’s complaints record for his comments about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on Good Morning Britain last week.

The anchor quit the breakfast show last week amid uproar over his comments about Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, with him sparking outrage and viewer complaints by saying he doesn’t believe she suffered suicidal thoughts, something which caused broadcasting watchdog Ofcom to launch an investigation.

Officials from the TV regulator have now revealed that the episodes of Good Morning Britain on 8 and 9 March, in which Meghan’s interview was the hot topic of conversation, had sparked 57,121 complaints, the most Ofcom complaints in its history. One formal complaint came from the actress-turned-royal herself, with her expressing concerns at the damage Piers’ comments could have on the discourse around mental health.

The episodes break the previous record of 44,500 complaints sparked by the Jade Goody and Shilpa Shetty racism controversy on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007.

Reacting to the complaints, Piers tweeted on Thursday, “Only 57,000? I’ve had more people than that come up & congratulate me in the street for what I said. The vast majority of Britons are right behind me.”

Only 57,000? I’ve had more people than that come up & congratulate me in the street for what I said. The vast majority of Britons are right behind me. https://t.co/bVYbU1RcHA

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 17, 2021

Over the course of the two episodes, Piers dismissed Meghan’s allegation that she sought help from the royal family for her mental health and was ignored, and stormed off set after weatherman Alex Beresford criticised him live on air for attacking Meghan. ITV reps announced Piers was leaving the show that evening.

As the first show without him aired, he stated on Twitter he still didn’t believe Meghan’s allegations and added, “Freedom of speech is a hill I’m happy to die on.