Phillip Schofield: Everyone who has spoken out since his This Morning exit

ITV’s daytime show This Morning became the talk of the town when Phillip Schofield left the show with “immediate effect” on 20 May.

The programme had been a topic of conversation in the lead up to Schofield’s announcement, with rumours running amok about how his friendship with co-host Holly Willoughby had “cooled” and that they were “barely speaking".

Read more: This Morning: Who are the favourites to replace Phillip Schofield?

Following his exit from the show people began to speak out about the TV presenter and the programme, which continues to grow after Schofield admitted to having an affair with a much younger man who worked as an intern on This Morning.

He told the Daily Mail in a statement on Friday, 26 May that the relationship was “unwise but not illegal” and he stepped down from all previous engagements including his role as host of the British Soap Awards.

Since then, there have been many people who have spoken out about Schofield. Here is everything that you need to know.

Eamonn Holmes

Ex-This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes has been very vocal about Schofield in the wake of his exit from the ITV programme. Holmes previously hosted the show with his wife Ruth Langsford.

In a bombshell interview with GB News, Holmes claimed that Schofield “created an atmosphere where people hated him, that people would avoid him in the corridor. He didn’t look at anybody, he didn’t know anyone’s names.”

Read more: Eamonn Holmes feud with Phillip Schofield - where did it all go wrong?

Holmes also claimed that ITV bosses tried to “cover up” Schofield’s affair. In a statement, ITV spokespeople said an internal investigation was conducted and Schofield and his lover were questioned about the relationship but both denied it was happening.

He went on to call Schofield a "chief narcissist" and has also hit out at Willoughby, saying she should "follow him out the door" and that her friendship with Alison Hammond isn't real.

Holly Willoughby

Willoughby has been absent from This Morning since Schofield left the programme as she chose to take an early half term break.

She did not make a statement while there were rumours of a rift between her and Schofield, nor did she address issues while they were still presenting the together, but Willoughby did speak out after her former co-presenter admitted to his affair with the young production assistant.

Read more: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: Their on-screen history together

On a statement shared via her Instagram stories, she said: "When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie."

Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary

Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary have taken the lead as hosts of This Morning following Schofield's exit and Willoughby's recent absence.

The pair addressed Schofield's exit the Monday after he announced he had left with "immediate effect" and they were positive when speaking of their former colleague.

Read more: Jodie Marsh takes swipe at Phillip Schofield years after heated This Morning clash (The Independent, 3-min read)

O'Leary said: "As a show, everyone on and off screen at ITV and This Morning say a huge thank you to Phil for what he’s done to make the show such a success over the last 21 years."

While Hammond said that Schofield was "one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had" in their tribute to him on the show.

Dr Ranj Singh

Doctor and former This Morning correspondent Dr Ranj Singh also spoke out following Schofield's departure, and in his statement he spoke about his concerns over the "toxic" nature of the programme.

In a lengthy statement shared on Instagram, Dr Ranj said: “I didn’t know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with This Morning go far beyond him. It takes more than one person to create a culture.”

Read more: When will Holly Willoughby be back on This Morning?

He added that when he spoke out about issues on the show, and with editor Martin Frizell, in the past he found he was asked to appear on the show "less and less."

“I even took my concerns directly to the top of ITV. The culture at This Morning has become toxic, no longer aligned with ITV values, and I felt like because I whistle-blew I was managed out,” Dr Ranj explained.

Piers Morgan

Piers Morgan, who had his own impromptu exit from ITV's Good Morning Britain in 2021, has also spoken out about Schofield's exit from the show, saying he had "personal empathy with him".

In an op-ed he wrote for The Sun, Morgan said: "One minute Schofield was the undisputed king of morning TV and fast heading to bona fide national treasure status – the next he’s a dethroned, shamed, vilified, national disgrace and social media laughing stock

"Phillip’s not the evil monster he’s being painted as, nor is he the angel his previously halo-clad reputation suggested.

“One thing’s for sure, what’s happened to him is further evidence that the abyss-like depths of ruthless backstabbing in the world of daytime television makes even the seething cesspit of Westminster politics seem like an oasis of loyalty by comparison.”

Kerry Katona

On Wednesday 31 May, Kerry Katona made an appearance on GB News to discuss the "toxicity" at This Morning and the impact of an interview she had with Schofield in 2008, which she said made her feel "belittled" and "suicidal."

In the 2008 interview, Schofield questioned Katona over her slurred speech on This Morning which she had said was a result of medication she had been taking at the time.

Katona grew tearful as she reflected on the interview again after Schofield's departure from the daytime show, saying: "People don't understand what that interview did to me emotionally.

"Even now, when I go back to ITV — which isn't very often — there is a sense of snobbery and that I'm not good enough,' she added. 'I feel like I have to impress them, I've got to watch my speech, I can't slur."

She added that the interview made her feel like she'd hit "rock bottom," and she added: "It was just awful. I was suicidal. I wanted to die, I wanted to kill myself. It was everywhere."

Katona explained that she and Schofield had made amends since the interview, but she wanted to point out the "toxicity" at the show.

Jeremy Clarkson

In his Sunday Times column, Jeremy Clarkson called out what he believed was a "witch hunt" against Schofield, and said he was "baffled" by it.

“He maintains that his lover was over the age of consent when their relationship became physical, but that hasn’t silenced the howls of disgust,” he wrote.

“And I find that weird. We casually roll our eyes when we hear that Leonardo DiCaprio’s new girlfriend is three and we even nod appreciatively when we learn that the age gap between Al Pacino and his pregnant girlfriend is 54 years.”

Clarkson added: “I’ve never seen a witch-hunt like it, and what baffles me most of all is that, as things stand, no crime has been committed."

The Grand Tour presenter added that he felt the public had condemned Schofield as "guilty" for being gay.

Dan Walker

TV presenter Dan Walker also came to Schofield's defence in a tweet he shared calling for the end of the "relentless hounding" of the former This Morning star.

Speaking after Schofield's BBC interview was released, he wrote on Twitter: "I really hope the issues at This Morning are investigated and resolved. I hope that the individuals involved get the help they need and the show stays on air.

"I also hope the relentless hounding from some elements of the media stops. People are clearly on the edge."

Ulrika Jonsson

Prior to Schofield's exit from This Morning, Ulrika Jonsson wrote a column for The Sun in which she spoke about the rumours of a "feud" between him and Willoughby.

She wrote: “Daytime TV is a lively, narcissistic melting pot of ego, vanity, hierarchy and domination, not to mention the bevy of managers and agents standing backstage ready to compete for their clients’ best outcomes.

“For the show’s dedicated followers, however, I suspect this war of the egos is a great sadness. They have invested in both presenters over the years and are fond of them. On-screen duos are about balance, harmony and respect and it can be very hard to get right.”

Jonsson later called Schofield "toxic" in a comment to a post by Katona, per OK! Magazine. Katona had shared a video of the presenter's BBC interview in which he spoke about feeling suicidal. Katona reiterated that her interview on This Morning had left her feeling the same way.

In response, Jonsson wrote in a comment: "It’s all about him… What about his poor wife in all this #arrogant #toxic”.

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