Piers Morgan has said he stands by his criticism of the Duchess of Sussex as ITV’s Good Morning Britain airs for the first time since his departure.
It was announced on Tuesday that Morgan would leave the show after saying he “didn’t believe a word” Meghan said in her interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Addressing his exit, co-host Susanna Reid said she had disagreed with his comments, and added: “Shows go on.”
Ofcom is investigating his comments after receiving 41,000 complaints.
It is not yet certain who will replace Morgan on GMB and Ranvir Singh, who was sitting in his chair on Wednesday, said: “We don’t call him Marmite for nothing.”
In a tweet earlier, as the programme was beginning, Morgan said: “On Monday, I said I didn’t believe Meghan Markle in her Oprah interview. I’ve had time to reflect on this opinion, and I still don’t.”
He added: “Freedom of speech is a hill I’m happy to die on.”
On Tuesday, before leaving the show, Morgan stormed off set after a discussion with his colleague Alex Beresford over the duchess.
An emotional Reid told viewers there are “many voices” on GMB and “everyone has their say”, adding that “some of you may cheer and others may boo” Morgan’s departure.
“He has been my presenting partner, Monday to Wednesday, for more than five years and during Brexit and the pandemic and other issues, he has been a voice for many of you and a voice that many of you have railed against,” she said.
“It is certainly going to be very different but shows go on and so on we go.”
Singh added that Morgan was a “big character” and acknowledged that many viewers would be “gutted”.
During Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah, which was broadcast in the UK on ITV, Meghan said her mental health became so bad she “didn’t want to be alive anymore” due to the loss of freedom she felt after joining the Royal Family.
She said she asked for help from the palace but did not receive any.
The duchess also said an unnamed family member had asked “how dark” their son Archie’s skin might be, something the palace has said it has “taken very seriously”.
But the morning after the interview aired in the US, Morgan said he did not believe a word the duchess had said.
He added: “The fact that she’s fired up this onslaught against our Royal Family I think is contemptible.”
A total of 41,015 complaints were made to media watchdog Ofcom by 14:00 GMT on Tuesday, the second highest number of complaints in Ofcom’s 17-year history.
On Tuesday, ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall said she “completely believed what [the duchess] says”, adding that ITV is “totally committed” to mental health.
Mental health charity Mind, which is a partner with ITV on its Britain Get Talking campaign, also criticised Morgan, saying it was “disappointed” by the presenter’s comments.
Following the outcry after his comments, Morgan said on Tuesday’s episode that while he had “serious concerns about the veracity of a lot of what” Meghan said, it was “not for me to question if she felt suicidal”.
