Meghan Markle filed a formal complaint to ITV regarding Piers Morgan's comments on her mental health discussion with Oprah Winfrey, multiple news organizations—including CNN and Variety—have reported.
In an article published March 10, correspondent Max Foster wrote, "CNN understands the complaint is about the impact Morgan's comments could have on others and how it could degrade the seriousness of mental health issues." He noted the Duchess of Sussex's complaint "did not relate to the personal nature of Morgan's attacks."
It's not completely clear how the alleged complaint was filed. While The Guardian reported a formal complaint was issued on Meghan's behalf, Variety stated Meghan wrote to ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall. E! News has reached out to ITV's and the Sussexes' team for comment.
Meghan wouldn't have been the only one to file a complaint. According to ITV, Ofcom—a communications regulator in the U.K.—launched an investigation after it received more than 41,000 complaints about Piers' remarks.
During Meghan's tell-all interview, which aired March 7, the duchess shared there was a point where she "didn't want to be alive anymore."
"I went to the Institution, and I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help," she told Oprah. "I said that, 'I've never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere.' And I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the Institution."
On the March 8 episode of Good Morning Britain, Piers questioned what Meghan said. "OK, again, let's have the names. Who did you go to? What did they say to you?" he said. "I'm sorry, I don't believe a word she says Meghan Markle."
Mental health organization, Mind, criticized Piers, noting it was "disappointed and concerned" by his remarks. On March 9, Piers addressed his comments on Good Morning Britain.
"When we talked about this yesterday, I said, as an all-encompassing thing, 'I don't believe what Meghan Markle is saying generally in this interview.' And I still have serious concerns about the veracity of a lot of what she said," he said. "But let me just state for the record about my position on mental illness and on suicide. Mental illness and suicide—these are clearly extremely serious things. They should be taken extremely seriously. And if somebody is feeling that way, they should get the treatment and the help that they need every time."
That same day, fellow TV presenter Alex Beresford called him out for his words, resulting in Piers storming off the set. Just a few hours later, ITV announced Piers officially left Good Morning Britain.
"Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain," a statement from the network read. "ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add."
Piers spoke out about his exit in a tweet shared March 10. "On Monday, I said I didn't believe Meghan Markle in her Oprah interview," he wrote. "I've had time to reflect on this opinion, and I still don't. If you did, OK. Freedom of speech is a hill I'm happy to die on. Thanks for all the love, and hate. I'm off to spend more time with my opinions."
While the royal family has remained fairly tight-lipped on the Oprah interview, Buckingham Palace did release a statement on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II on March 9.
"The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan," it read. "The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members."