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Last March, Morgan walked off his ITV show, Good Morning Britain, after a co-panelist confronted him on his statements about Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey. In the age of hyperbole, everything is either “awesome” or “atrocious”, “the best movie ever” or so “problematic” that it represents all that ails society. Yet, even by the standards of the widespread penchant for exaggeration, TV show host and right-wing provocateur Piers Morgan’s claim that he is “like Nelson Mandela when he came out of prison” and that his on-air tantrums and job search are a “long walk to the freedom of expression” is a bit much. And yet, given the sharp lines that have been drawn in the “culture wars”, Morgan’s sense of self-importance is likely to be rewarded by many.
Last March, Morgan walked off his ITV show, Good Morning Britain, after a co-panelist confronted him on his statements about Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. In essence, Morgan said that Markle was faking mental illness in order to gain public sympathy and tarnish the royal family’s image. After a backlash, Morgan was asked to apologise — he quit instead. Now, he claims that his new show on the Rupert Murdoch-owned TalkTV will “stand up for democracy” and against cancel culture.
Shorn of the rhetoric, all that has happened is that a powerful, extremely well-paid person has switched jobs. And even the most ardent opponents of cancel culture will agree that not being on television for a year is hardly the same as being imprisoned for decades and fighting Apartheid. Perhaps Morgan’s life has been such a bed of roses that he has lost all sense of perspective. More likely, though, he has figured out — as so many seem to have across the world — that the best way to be on TV is to upset half the people, make outrageous partisan statements, and use guests on panels to further an agenda.
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