Richard Madeley has been slammed by Good Morning Britain viewers, after being “disrespectful” towards a female guest.
The presenter is back on the ITV programme for the entire month, alongside co-host Susanna Reid.
On Wednesday’s show (October 20), Richard caused a stir during a debate on Netflix show Squid Game.
Richard Madeley on Good Morning Britain
During the debate, the hosts were joined parenting expert Jade Evans and crime writer Mark Billingham.
The group went on to discuss whether the hit Netflix series is suitable for children.
Mark explained that the series is “no more violent than other shows”, while Jade begged to differ.
Read more: Richard Madeley under fire for comment about Kate Middleton’s appearance at awards
The crime writer said: “I wouldn’t sit down with a six-year-old and watch Squid Game.
“Is that a question about how violent the show is or how irresponsible some parents are?”
Turning to Jade, Richard asked: “What do you think about Mark’s point? Do you not take Mark’s point that we’ve been here before?”
She quickly hit back: “No, no, no, no, no.”
Richard interrupted: “Hang on, hang on. Darling, let me finish the question….
“We’ve done the debate about video nasties.”
Read more: Richard Madeley leaves GMB viewers raging with ‘out of touch’ comment
The guests appeared shocked by Richard’s remark, but the presenter carried on.
He continued: “We’ve had debates about X-rated horror movies and all the rest of it, and he’s right.”
However, Richard’s comment received plenty of backlash from viewers.
https://twitter.com/HalcyonNash/status/1450717342309179395
Did Richard Madely just call Jane Evans ‘darling’ whilst trying to interject her talking… How condescending! You don’t get away with that these days Richard #GMB #SquidGames #Darling #RichardMadely @GMB
— Debsjweir (@Debsjweir) October 20, 2021
Did I just hear Madeley “darling” his guest?! @GMB #GMB
— Richard 🍊⛅️ (@rickwookie) October 20, 2021
Richard Madeley once again proving what a misogynistic & patronising dinosaur he is. If he had called me darling I wouldn’t have let it slide #GMB #GoodMorningBritain
— 🐈🪴🍄✨Pickle✨🍄🪴🐈 (@FlopsyPickle) October 20, 2021
I see darling as a friendly term and wouldn’t have been offended if said to me xxx
— Rose (@BonnieBetsy21) October 20, 2021
How did GMB viewers react to Richard’s comment?
On Twitter, one said: “FGS it’s not ok and completely unprofessional for Richard Madeley to call the expert he’s interviewing ‘Darling’ @GMB #GMB.”
Another complained: “Did Richard Madely just call Jane Evans ‘darling’ whilst trying to interject her talking… how condescending! You don’t get away with that these days Richard.”
A third added: “Did I just hear Madeley ‘darling’ his guest?! @GMB #GMB.”
So disrespectful!
A fourth shared: “Richard Madeley once again proving what a misogynistic & patronising dinosaur he is. If he had called me darling I wouldn’t have let it slide #GMB #GoodMorningBritain.”
In addition, a fifth said: “@richardm56 @GMB I don’t think Jane is your ‘darling’ – so disrespectful.”
However, one viewer appeared to defend Richard after the remark.
They wrote: “I see darling as a friendly term and wouldn’t have been offended if said to me.”
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