A Step by Step Guide to Piers Morgan's On-Air Meltdown over Meghan Markle
Piers Morgan has you fooled again. The host of Good Morning Britain on ITV did not get fired this week because of his 'opinions' on Meghan Markle, her Oprah interview or mental health. Rather, the English provocateur crossed a line on national television that threatened the reputation and bottom line of his network. It wasn't about his 'freedom of speech'.
Though the former tabloid journalist doth protest loudly that he must protect his 'freedom of speech', he is pulling the classic trick of the intellectual con man. He is framing what just happened into a debate where he looks good and you look bad for challenging him.
Dirty Piers' Strategy
Here's how it works: instead of debating whether his actions were inappropriate or not, he's cunningly switched the conversation to whether you support free speech or cancel culture. He diverts our attention away from his storming off the set. He stops us from talking about how he threw a monkey wrench into a production that employs hundreds. He fraudulently aligns his defense with the cause of the British monarchy and the health of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, himself.
Dangerous Precedent
By throwing off his mic and storming off the set on live TV, Piers Morgan created the precedent where any future guest or co-host must monitor what they say lest Piers gets up and leaves the show mid-air. Who else do you know can walk off the job and not expect to be fired? Let's see it for what it really is. He can't stand to lose an argument. Any argument.
Piers has always had polarizing opinions. He's hired to create some heat on the screen. If anything, he's been too free to gallivant his mansplaining over anyone in earshot. But as we saw this week, he's more hot air than hot ratings.
Ratings Gold Comes from Beresford, Not Piers
Even though he's trying to take credit for leaving on the highest rated episode in the show's history, it wasn't because of his precious 'opinions'. If he were capable of beating their main competitor in the morning hour (the BBC), his 'opinions' would have done so already. Rather, we must isolate what was markedly different on the day in question.
The weatherman.
The versatile newscaster, Alex Beresford, has traded barbs with Morgan before in segments where he's asked for commentary and not just about the weather. But this week, he particularly doubled down and would not capitulate as one normally would to play nice and stay employed.
Though still reserved and professional, you could tell the topic of Markle's traumatic racial backlash tapped a cold, steely nerve that would take his battle with Morgan to a triumphant end.
If anything, Beresford delivered the ratings. It was finally the heavyweight match viewers had been waiting for. One that could put Morgan in his place. And indeed, Beresford didn't even know he delivered a knockout punch with his argument that Piers was making his rejection of his advances on Meghan Markle a personal vendetta.
Captain Abandoning His Ship
Morgan folded. He left the ring. A captain abandoning his own ship. Forfeiting to the weatherman. For that he should've been fired. Apparently, Morgan was given the opportunity to apologize to Markle on air the next day to keep his job. But it seems the proud Piers would rather chuck the job and keep his turkey chin up another day.
In the words of the weatherman, expect to see storm clouds and "absolutely diabolical behavior."
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