ITV Discussing Piers Morgan’s Conduct After Spat With U.K. Industry Campaigner

Naman Ramachandran
·3 min read
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The battle lines have been drawn between outspoken ITV host Piers Morgan and Adeel Amini, the chair of industry org Coalition for Change, after the latter revealed he had a negative experience working on Morgan’s show “Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.”

Hostilities flared on Thursday when Amini tweeted: “I’m gonna poke the beast here. TV freelancers: would you turn down a job based on a company’s previous output / who the presenter was / what message the show sends?”

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“(Full disclosure: I worked on P*ers M*rgan’s Life Stories as a researcher but now I’d very much say no),” the tweet added. Amini has 4,030 followers on Twitter.

In response, Morgan, who is also the co-host of popular ITV breakfast show “Good Morning Britain,” responded: “Hi Adeel, you spent precisely two months working on Life Stories in 2010 & judging by your CV that was the pinnacle of your TV career. So you really don’t need to worry about getting any more job offers from me because I’d rather employ a lobotomised Aardvark.” Morgan has 7.7 million followers on Twitter.

ITV is reportedly discussing the matter with Morgan, though it’s still unclear how far the broadcaster will look into the presenter’s rebuke. Variety has reached out to ITV for comment, but didn’t hear back by press time.

Amini founded the media industry support group The TV Mindset. At the 2020 Edinburgh TV Festival awards, he was presented with the industry champion award for his campaigning on behalf of industry freelancers. His producing credits include “Lingo,” “Catchphrase” and “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.”

In response to Morgan’s rebuttal, former Channel 4 head of creative diversity Angela Chan tweeted to the ITV host that Amini “has achieved more positive change for this industry in the space of the last year than most do in a lifetime. You have it in your power to amplify voices like his. Your petty bullying on Twitter is just a small glimpse of the abuses of power in TV.”

“Mate, that show isn’t even the pinnacle of your career and your name is on it. Petty little bully,” tweeted Writers’ Guild of Great Britain chair Lisa Holdsworth.

On Friday, Amini tweeted: “Jokes aside (+ my last note on the matter): call out bullying. Wherever you see it, whoever it’s from. Call out bullies. Call out systems/people that enable them. Call out people abusing their power. Call out those who co-opt ‘Be Kind’ and target others. Your voice matters.”

In response to a story from trade publication Broadcast that reported ITV would discuss Morgan’s conduct, Morgan tweeted in response: “Yes, and I am discussing abusive hypocrite @adeelamini’s conduct with ITV.”

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