The editor of This Morning has issued a somewhat bizarre response to a journalist’s question about allegations of a toxic environment on set.
The ITV morning programme has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, following reports of a rift between former co-hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
Schofield, 61, left the programme with immediate effect on Saturday 20 May before admitting that he lied about his “unwise but not illegal” affair with a “much younger” colleague while he was still married.
Rumours have also emerged in recent weeks of a “toxic” environment on the This Morning set, following claims by former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes.
Willoughby has been absent from the programme on an extended half-term break and returns for the first time since Schofield’s departure on Monday’s edition (5 June). You can keep up with all the latest updates here.
Hours ahead of the much-anticipated episode, the show’s editor Martin Frizell was approached by Sky News reporters outside of his home.
When asked about the reports of a toxic atmosphere on set, Frizell responded: “I’ll tell you what’s toxic and I’ve always found it toxic. Aubergine. Do you like aubergine?”
The reporter persisted with questions about whether there is a toxic work environment onThis Morning, Frizell stuck to professing his lack of appreciation for the spongy fruit, commonly mistaken for a vegetable.
“Do you like aubergine? Because I don’t like aubergine, it’s just a personal thing,” Frizell said as he walked out of the camera shot.
Dr Ranj Singh, who was the programme’s resident doctor for a decade, recently spoke out on the culture on set and says he made claims of “bullying and discrimination” two years ago while still working there.
He added that he felt as though he was “managed out” for whistleblowing.
In a statement released on Instagram last week, Schofield said: “Now I no longer work on This Morning I am free to say this. I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice.
“This Morning is the best show to work on, with the best people. In all the years I worked there, there was no toxicity.”
He added: “You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you like. But the thousands of guests over the years, thousands of staff and crew, hundreds of presenters and contributors all know, it is a family of wonderful, talented, kind, hard-working people.”
Previously, Frizell told the press that people should “read between the lines” when it came to reports of unpleasant atmosphere at work.
Elsewhere, several celebrities and public figures have weighed in on This Morning and Schofield’s treatment by the public.
You can find a rundown of who’s said what, from Piers Morgan to Eamonn Holmes, here.
