Piers Morgan slams TV for being ‘infested by a pack of savages’ after Phillip Schofield axing

Piers Morgan slammed daytime TV for being ‘infested by a pack of savages’ after Phillip Schofield received a quick 35-second send off to commemorate his 21-year career on ITV‘s This Morning.

The TalkTV host told Times Radio that there is ‘nothing more ruthless’ than the way broadcasters are treated when ‘the plug gets pulled’.

‘Showbiz is a shallow pool of shark infested waters, one day you’re c**k of the walk, the next you’re a feather duster,’ Piers said yesterday.

The broadcaster, who left ITV’s Good Morning Britain in 2021 amid controversy over remarks he made about the Duchess of Sussex, added that he has ‘some sympathy’ for Phil and believed he was ‘entitled to a better send-off’.

Phil, who announced his resignation on Saturday, received a brief tribute from stand-in This Morning presenters Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond at the start of yesterday’s show.

ITV bosses said Phil will be presenting the Soap Awards early next month, as well as an unnamed ‘brand new peak time series’, but industry insiders believe his future with the network is uncertain.

Phil sensationally quit This Morning on Saturday after 21 years following a ‘feud’ with his former best friend and co-presenter Holly.

After days of reports that Phil faced the axe at the channel, he took to Instagram on Saturday to reveal he had ‘agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect.’

Kevin Lygo, ITV’s managing director of media and entertainment, announced Phil’s departure and confirmed the 61-year-old would still present the Soap Awards in Manchester next month.

He also said networked bosses ‘look forward to continuing our relationship with Phillip,’ who would be hosting a new series.

said that Phil would still present the Soap Awards in Manchester next month and a new series, adding

However, industry insiders told The Times they would be ‘extremely surprised’ if Phil is seen on ITV after the awards show.

‘The heat is not going away,’ one source said. 

Another claimed the network may make a pilot episode of the unnamed show to ‘honour their agreement’ but will eventually ‘ease’ Phil out, adding: ‘He will end up on a rival channel making documentaries about railways.’ 

The insiders also noted how ITV committed to ‘continue working with Jeremy Kyle on other projects’ after the cancellation of The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2019 but ‘nothing ever emerged’.

Phil’s exit follows a breakdown of his friendship with Holly, which is said to have begun three years ago and deteriorated when his brother Timothy Schofield stood trial for sexual offences against a teenage boy.

Phil left the show after his co-host Holly gave ITV bosses an ‘it’s him or me’ ultimatum, leading to Dermot and Alison temporarily step in yesterday.

The pair were all smiles as they took control of the show and and used just 98 words and 35 seconds to honour Phil’s 21-year stint with the show.

Opening This Morning, Alison told viewers: ‘Now we can’t start today’s show without paying tribute to the man who’s spent the last two decades sitting on This Morning’s sofa, Phillip Schofield.’

Dermot added: ‘As a show, everyone on and off the screen at ITV and This Morning want to say a huge thank you to Phil for what he has done to make the show such a success over the last 21 years.’

Alison continued: ‘Quite simply we all know he is one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had and we and all the team wish him all the best for the future.’

The two announced they would be returning to the show today at the end of yesterday’s show by saying: ‘See you tomorrow.’ 

Meanwhile, Holly is taking an early half-term holiday and will return in a fortnight on June 5, ITV has said.

In the months leading up to his departure from This Morning, Phil faced a number of controversies.

The 61-year-old was at the centre of numerous headlines recently due to reports of a rift with Holly, his brother’s sex abuse trial and furore over his visit to the late Queen’s lying in state.

Reports began last week that the TV presenter and Holly were barely speaking off-camera.

Following press coverage that their relationship had come under strain, Phil hailed Holly as his ‘rock’ in a statement to The Sun.

He said: ‘As I have said before, Holly is my rock. We’re the best of friends – as always, she is an incredible support on screen, behind the scenes and on the phone.

‘Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I’ve been there for her. The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us.’

Despite the speculation, the duo put on a united front during the show last week and made no reference to stories in the press about their relationship.

The reports came after Phil took pre-planned leave from the ITV show around his brother’s sex abuse trial at Exeter Crown Court last month.

Former civilian police worker Timothy, 54, was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child.

In a statement released by his lawyer after the guilty verdict, the former This Morning host said: ‘My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family. I hope that their privacy will now be respected.

‘If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family.

‘These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts. As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.’

Phil and Holly had presented the show together since 2009 and also co-hosted ITV’s Dancing On Ice. The network will make further announcements on the ice-skating competition’s presenting line-up in due course ahead of its return in January 2024.

Last September, the duo also faced a backlash over claims they skipped the queue for the Queen’s lying in state.

Following an online outcry, the chief executive of ITV, Dame Carolyn McCall, said the pair had been ‘misrepresented’ over the issue and stressed they had been attending as members of the media to film a segment for This Morning.

Following Phil’s departure, ITV has said Holly will remain on the show and will ‘co-present with members of the This Morning family’.

This Morning viewers are now speculating who will replace Phil, with Alison being hailed as a bookie favourite for the job.