Richard Madeley claimed he was given free croissants in France because people felt sorry for Brits in an off-kilter Brexit anecdote on Good Morning Britain.
The presenter, standing in for outspoken Piers Morgan, came out with the tale as he voiced his disdain at negotiations surrounding leaving the EU.
Regaling viewers about a recent trip to France, he said: "I've just come back from France, yeah, over the last couple of weeks and, I'm not making this up, I was getting free coffees and croissants in the cafes that I go to a lot there because they feel sorry for me because I'm British.
"They're actually laughing at us.
"They think we're pathetic. And they don't like us very much, they still think we're pathetic."
It came after he expressed frustration to Conservative Lord Howard, stating that people outside of the "Westminster bubble" view politics with contempt.
Commenting on Madeley's quirky style of hosting, one person wrote on Twitter: "Richard Madeley is actually more Alan Partridge than Alan Partridge can ever try to be."
Another said: "It's not just the French who are laughing at Richard Madeley."
Madeley has already courted controversy after taking over from Morgan on Monday, after saying s*** while on air on his first day.
He appeared completely unaware as he casually made the error whilst interviewing The Voice winner Molly Hocking with her coach Olly Murs.
Speaking to Hocking about her win, the host said: “Reality really kicks in when there’s a moment and you just say, “s*** I won!”
