Piers Morgan storms back onto ITV and says he doesn’t care if you love him or hate him

Piers Morgan made his return to ITV this week, four years after storming off Good Morning Britain, and in typical fashion he made sure nobody forgot it. Appearing on This Morning alongside Cat Deeley, Ben Shephard and guest Ashley James, the 60-year-old broadcaster reminded everyone that he’s not in the business of pleasing people.

“I don’t care if you love me or hate me, or love to hate me, or hate to love me,” he said with a grin. “I’ll take any of those permutations as long as you watch me”, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Morgan hasn’t been on ITV since his dramatic 2021 exit, when he quit after saying he didn’t believe Meghan Markle’s claims in her Oprah Winfrey interview. His comeback saw him dive straight back into heated debate, this time clashing with Ashley James over Prince Harry’s return to the UK and a viral video of a female politician in Northern Ireland being told to leave the Assembly chamber.

In the clip, the deputy speaker was seen shushing and gesturing at her to quieten down, which many labelled patronising. Ashley and Cat argued the same gestures would never have been used on a man, but Piers shot back that they were “using the woman card” and insisted there was nothing sexist about the exchange.

It wasn’t the only time he lit a spark. Discussing his own career, Morgan joked he’s the “Justin Bieber of journalism” thanks to his YouTube show Piers Morgan Uncensored racking up more than a billion views. As ever, he was unapologetic, leaning into his reputation for being brash, provocative and impossible to ignore.

Viewers were just as divided as ever. On X, some called his appearance “absolutely disgusting” and demanded ITV apologize for having him on. One wrote: “Piers Morgan should never be on again the way he talked down to Ashley.” Another fumed: “Why on earth has ITV invited him back? Eurgh!”

But plenty of others were glad to see him. One fan tweeted: “I’ve got to say I’ve missed Piers Morgan on our screens.” Another added: “Please please have Piers Morgan on more often. He’s been brilliant discussing the news!”

Morgan’s return came during Thursday’s episode as Cat and Ben showed off This Morning’s National Television Award for Best Daytime Show. The trophy was a reminder of how loved the programme remains, even if its guest that day divided the audience down the middle.

That’s the Piers Morgan effect. Love him or loathe him, he’s impossible to ignore. And judging by his own words, that’s exactly how he likes it.