Richard Madeley slammed Labour leader's Keir Starmer, saying that his latest interview made his "toes curl".
Good Morning Britain viewers were quick to hit back at the presenter and defend the Labour leader.
Richard has been manning the GBM desk with Susanna Reid and labeled Starmer's interview on Piers Morgan's Life Stories as "embarrassing".
He went on to add that Starmer's emotional outburst on the show as "odd", referring to the moment he became overwhelmed and tearful speaking about the death of his mother, The Daily Star reports.
Susanna and Richard were joined by MP Jonathan Ashworth to discuss Labour's stance on the latest update on England's extended lockdown, with Starmer blaming lax border control for the spread of the Delta Covid variant.
The conversation quickly developed into a debate whether Starmer was a good leader for the party, prompting Richard to share his views on the politician's appearance on Piers' Life Stories series on June 1.
He asked the Shadow Secretary: "Were you embarrassed by his performance on the Piers Morgan programme, because my toes curled."
Richard went on to say: "Seriously, it was a bit embarrassing.
"He’s got quite a lot on his plate at the moment and a lot to do, going on a talk show really. And crying. It was odd."
Ashworth jumped to Starmer's defence, praising his openness in addressing his personal tragedies and showing a more vulnerable side to the public.
"It's important that people open up a bit," he said, adding: "I think you'd consider that a successful interview."
Unimpressed viewers took to Twitter, with many pointing out Richard's comments showed a lack of sensitivity and an outdated view.
One wrote: "Did Richard Madeley really just roll out the tired old “real men don’t cry” trope? and we wonder why we have an epidemic of male suicide"
"Richard Madeley should be ashamed with himself for some of his comments during that interview #GMB," added a second.
While a third agreed: "#GMB Richard Madeley thought seeing Keir Starmer on #LifeStories was ‘embarrassing' for showing emotion. That really the best he has got."
And a fourth weighed in: "according to Richard Madeley, it's wrong for men to go on TV and cry. Very disappointed in your program today. It's difficult for men to discuss mental health at the best of times but you have just helped push the conversation back a little."
