Piers Morgan Drops Out Of RTS Awards, Attacks Detractors
Empty Lighthouse is a reader-supported site. This article may contain affiliate links to Amazon and other sites. We earn a commission on purchases made through these links.
Piers Morgan has decided to drop out of hosting the RTS Awards.
The RTS (Royal Television Society) Awards are one of six national award ceremonies that the society holds every year. Morgan had been tapped to host, which has caused blowback because of his support for Donald Trump.
Morgan wrote the following statement:
STATEMENT FROM PIERS MORGAN
I was recently invited to host the Royal Television Society Programme Awards.
As someone who has worked in British and American television for most of this Millennium, on a variety of shows, I thought it might be fun and agreed to do it without any fee.
After my role was announced, a campaign was started to have me banned.
It suggested that I lack the 'creative excellence' criteria required for presenting such an event and therefore my presence would be 'damaging' and 'inappropriate.'
Further, I have 'failed to understand a social movement that values equality and diversity of voice.'
Apparently, this movement does not extend to tolerating my own diverse voice.
I have no wish to serve as an unnecessary distraction from award winners whose hard work and skill should be celebrated without any of the silly noise this campaign has generated.
So, I am now withdrawing from hosting the evening.
Good luck to everyone who has been nominated.
The mostly washed-up Morgan has been back in the news because of his outspoken support for Donald Trump. While Trump has brought him some attention, it has brought him a lot of controversy.
Morgan has gotten into feuds with Jim Jeffries, JK Rowling, George Takei and many others because of an altercation during Real Time with Bill Maher last week.
Since then, he has been the subject of criticism from all sides -- including from his own son, who supported Rowling over him.
Here is what he said about Rowling:
"Ms Rowling, whose sense of political and cultural self-importance is staggeringly overblown for a woman who writes about Hogwarts and Muggles, didn't like that either."
It is unclear whom RTS will choose to replace Morgan.
Wanna read more on this? Check these out: Piers Morgan (Who Hacked A Dead Girl's Phone) Calls JK Rowling a Loser (more); Piers Morgan And Son Get Into Awkward Twitter Fight Over JK Rowling (more).