Piers Morgan has hit back at a petition called for his removal from Good Morning Britain, dubbing it as “disingenuous nonsense.”
The presenter, 54, faced criticism after he ranted about gender and stated he now identifies a “penguin” in a September episode of the programme.
His comments came after staff at the London Aquarium said a baby penguin of a lesbian penguin couple would be raised “gender-neutral”.
A petition urging for Morgan to be removed from his post as co-host has since been launched by Liam Austen.
Morgan was quick to shrug it off though, writing on Twitter: “More than 28,000 people are calling for me to stay because they see right through this disingenuous nonsense.”
Explaining his motivations for gathering signatures, Austen stated he had created it “out of sheer exhaustion and frustration.”
He said: “Morgan’s disdain for those who dare to identify in a way they feel comfortable manifests in many ways, and as Charlotte Hawkins told Morgan 'people can be who they want to be', he plainly replied - 'no they can’t'. This is dangerous misinformation."
Austen added: “What good comes from keeping Morgan as a host? Instead of providing light reprieve from the world’s horrors – or, indeed, discussing them factually and objectively – he contributes directly to them.
“Morgan dictates to his viewers that it’s acceptable to deny an LGBTQ+ person of their rights; it’s acceptable to tell them they don’t exist; it’s acceptable to call them ‘snowflakes’ when they get rightfully upset.” Nearly 14,000 people have signed the petition.
But since the petition was created, a rival petition was set up, which is calling for the Good Morning Britain host to stay - and it's gained more signatures.
Its creator Margaret Lowry argues: “Keep Piers Morgan for his common sense approach to life. He’s also funny! He’s not afraid to speak out and says what a lot of us are thinking.”
It has so far been signed by more than 29,000 signatures.
Morgan has been Susanna Reid’s co-host on the show since 2015. In June he joked he would be leaving the show to pursue a version of the show overseas.
Standard Online has approached ITV for comment.
