As expected, after the revealing interview between Meghan Markle, her husband Prince Harry and Oprah aired on CBS Sunday night, everybody and their Mama’s mama had something to say about what all was uncovered.
There were folks who could immediately empathize with Meghan’s plight, drawing the parallel between a Black woman entering into an institution— on any level—that covertly and overtly shows you that your identity means less to them than a plate of fish ‘n’ chips. Then there were others who, while they empathized, weren’t surprised at all by Markle’s admission and felt that you essentially get what you get when you naively walk into a space thinking that white folks with a history of doing the EXACT opposite actually mean it when they say “we’re going to protect you.” Then you had the royal family who basically said “damn, that’s wild. Y’all be easy though” about the whole thing.
And then, there was Tears Piers Morgan.
Having grown a reputation for being cruelly critical of Markle seemingly from the time she left him all alone at the pub years ago, Morgan chose to form an entirely different opinion regarding the interview. An opinion that was full of cynicism particularly as it relates to Markle’s comments about her mental health during her time at Buckingham Palace.
Per the AP:
Morgan, 55, said Monday on “Good Morning Britain” during a discussion about Meghan’s revelations that “I’m sorry, I don’t believe a word she says.
“I wouldn’t believe her if she read me a weather report,” he said, adding the duchess had sparked an “onslaught” against the royal family. That drew criticism from many, including the mental health charity Mind, which said it was disappointed and concerned by Morgan’s comments on not believing Meghan’s experiences about having suicidal thoughts.
“It’s vital that when people reach out for support or share their experiences of ill mental health that they are treated with dignity, respect and empathy,” the charity said.
In Tuesday’s episode, Morgan addressed his own comments the day before, stressing that he believed mental illness and suicide are topics that should be “taken extremely seriously.” But he maintained he had “serious concerns about the veracity of a lot of what (Meghan) said.” He then stormed off the set of the program as weather presenter Alex Beresford was criticizing his attitude toward Meghan. As Morgan walked away, he said “I’m done.”
Following Morgan’s comments and antics, it was revealed on Wednesday by HuffPost that the Duchess of Sussex issued a formal complaint to ITV, citing that the implications of Morgan’s comments could do broader damage to those who regularly suffer from mental health issues. And now, in a twist that we all arguably saw coming: Morgan is out of a job. ITV telling CNN: “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.”
And I guess that’s that on that. To quote one of my favorite Queens of Comedy, “see when you do clownery, the clown comes back to bite.” And in this case, it bit Morgan right on out of a job.