Piers Morgan quitting GMB has had a polarising effect on the nation.
Some fear it’ll be a dreadful loss after he turned around the fortunes of the ITV breakfast show.
Others insist that Piers should’ve been shown the door a long time ago.
Here, ED! speaks to two respected journalists, both of whom have had dealings with the man himself, for their take.
Piers Morgan quits GMB: ‘Piers is not a monster’
Entertainment journalist Christian Guiltenane thinks Piers’ exit is “cancel culture” at its most worrying.
He argued: “While his savage takedown of the Duchess Of Sussex and a heated on-air row with Alex Beresford led to 41,000 complaints to Ofcom, cancelling Piers is a terrifying sign of things to come.
“Yes, the hothead has consistently ruffled feathers with his controversial chatter.
“However, we have to also remember he has admirably called out hapless politicians, condemned racist trolls, shouted down pro-gun advocates in the US and dismissed self-absorbed insipid celebrities, which quite frankly has been refreshing.
Read more: Meghan Markle filed an official complaint to ITV about Piers Morgan on GMB
“He got people talking, whether they sided with him or not.
“And that’s what is so important in a democratic society – that we as viewers can listen to one man’s opinion and decide for ourselves how we feel about it.”
Christian added: “He’s not forcing us to change our mind, he’s merely expressing his opinion, which his co-anchor Susanna Reid so eloquently counters.
“We live in a country full of people who have very different views, but I think it is imperative the media reflects those opinions and allows people with those opposing views to air them – as long as we have balance and they are challenged when those views cross the line.”
‘Debate is essential’
Christian added: “Of course, hate speak must never be tolerated. But debate is essential because exploring both sides of a topic can potentially educate those with dubious views.
“Ignoring differences of opinion, I believe, is dangerous because it can lead to those with troublesome views going underground where they cannot be monitored or called out.
“Despite what many think, I do not think Piers is a monster.
Read more: Who will replace Piers Morgan as anchor of GMB?
“He is a seasoned journalist and TV presenter with strong views, many of which I have disagreed with – his recent attack on Meghan for me was particularly unfair and relentless.
He got people talking, whether they sided with him or not.
“But generally I think he has spoken a lot of sense on behalf of the nation. He challenged inept members of the government, savaged those with hateful views and poked fun at politically correct revisionism.
“So I believe cancelling him is a very disturbing turn of events. It’s a move that could eventually set a very dangerous precedent.
“Why are some people so scared to hear opposing views? Are they worried that if they hear something they disagree with they’ll be convinced otherwise?
“We need to hear opposing views, we need free speech, we need to continue debate. Otherwise, how on earth will the world become a better place?”
Piers Morgan quits GMB: ‘His hostile reign is over’
Opinion writer Amy Nickell has previously appeared on GMB, going head-to-head with Piers and being on “the receiving end of his foghornery”.
She’s thrilled he’s left.
“Ding, dong, the witch is dead! Piers Morgan has left the building,” she told ED!.
“After six years of divisive ranting and unchecked toxicity, thinly veiled as ‘passionate debate’ and ‘robust exchanges,’ Piers cleared his desk and left Good Morning Britain.
“The former tabloid editor left in the wake of criticism he received after months of saying Meghan Markle and Prince Harry should suck up the criticism they have faced. The irony was not lost.
“He proved what I’d felt all along – that he can dish it out, but he certainly can’t take it. As demonstrated on Tuesday when he baulked and stomped off set after co-host Alex Beresford challenged him.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled his hostile reign is over.”
‘Inciting anger’
“Such argument chasing combative breakfast telly wasn’t doing anyone any good. In my opinion it incited anger, frustration and, most crucially, confusion, so no one won except for Morgan, for whom it was only ever about ratings anyway.
“It didn’t matter if the million-odd viewers felt terrible and bewildered after watching, just so long as there were more of them than BBC Breakfast.
“His rants had become embarrassing and uncomfortable – often levelling the same fury and outrage at a Greggs sausage roll as he would trans people’s right to exist.
“He called toy makers ‘spineless’ to design gender-neutral products. He even called me a ‘weak-willed millennial single headedly destroying the planet’ for daring to discuss touch-free packaging designed for people with disabilities in mind.
“Good Morning Britain had become the new Jeremy Kyle show, where guests were booked to be dismissed and belittled in the name of entertainment dressed as news as convincingly as when they would put on Grandma’s clothes.
“The question isn’t, how did he lose the GMB job? It’s why was he given it in the first place.”
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