British broadcasting regulator Ofcom on Friday confirmed that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was among the tens of thousands of viewers who complained after the comments former ITV host Piers Morgan made in response to Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Meghan suggested during the interview with Winfrey that the pressure of royal life had her feeling suicidal. "I just didn't want to be alive anymore," she said during the conversation aired by CBS on Sunday.
Morgan said on-air that he doubted Meghan's story, including her suicidal thoughts, and on Tuesday he reiterated the stance on Twitter, saying, "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."
On air, he called the interview with Meghan and husband Prince Harry a "trash-a-thon" of the British monarchy.
On Tuesday, fellow ITV presenter Alex Beresford confronted Morgan about his commentary on Meghan over the years and called Monday’s episode "hard to watch." Morgan walked off the “Good Morning Britain” set as Beresford condemned him.
Later that day, ITV announced that Morgan had resigned as co-host of "Good Morning Britain" after five years with the show. Ofcom said it was investigating Morgan's remarks.
Ofcom said it had received at least 41,000 complaints about Morgan's on-air response to Meghan's story. On Friday, a spokesperson said, "We can confirm receipt of a standards complaint made on behalf of the Duchess of Sussex."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
