By Jennifer Hassan
As Piers Morgan launched yet another attack on Meghan, Duchess of Sussex this week after her two-hour interview with Oprah which aired in the United Kingdom on Monday, many on social media demanded to know what the TV presenter's problem with the former "Suits" star was - and why he appears to carry deep-rooted hatred around for a woman whom he alleges was a friend he spoke to regularly online and once went for drinks with.
In a string of tweets to his 7.8 million followers, televised statements and articles written for MailOnline, the former tabloid editor continued to take aim at the duchess once again this week, branding her interview with husband Prince Harry "nauseating cynical race-baiting propaganda," and accused her of lying about her mental health struggles.
In Britain, Morgan is known to be an outspoken and polarizing figure - yet his persistent attacks on the duchess became too much for some 41 000 people who complained to broadcaster ITV this week.
He left his position as morning host Tuesday amid the controversy.
"Piers Morgan's fixation with Meghan Markle began when they went for a drink and she ignored him afterward.
“His rant on GMB yesterday was the psychic unravelling of a man unable to deal with the fact he was rejected by a woman, and obsessed with destroying her to restore his ego," Guardian feature writer Siren Kale tweeted Tuesday - a statement that was widely shared online by those who deemed that he had crossed the line.
Morgan has spent decades in journalism and became editor of tabloid newspaper the News of the World at age 28.
From there he went on to edit the Daily Mirror from 1996 until 2004 - when he was fired after the newspaper published photos of British troops apparently abusing Iraqi detainees. The British government said the images were forged - a statement Morgan disputed.
The 55-year-old has also served as a judge on "Britain's Got Talent" and "America's Got Talent," and is also known for holding deeply personal interviews with celebrities on his show "Life Stories," which has featured an array of high-profile celebrities.
For the past six years, he has presented breakfast-time show "Good Morning Britain," often kick-starting the mornings with his outspoken opinions on various topics.
On Tuesday, his colleague Alex Beresford defended the duchess - which resulted in Morgan storming off the set.
The confrontational clip has been viewed millions of times on Twitter.
Shortly after it emerged that Meghan was dating Prince Harry, Morgan wrote in the Daily Mail that he believed her to be "perfect princess material," explaining that he had once met her for a drink in London in 2016 - shortly before she began dating Harry.
"I found her to be a very smart, focused, thoughtful, feisty and confident woman," he wrote. Although he later told RTE One: "Meghan Markle ghosted me. I really liked her, this is why it hurts," he said.
In 2017, he said Meghan would make the "perfect modern bride," while congratulating her and Harry on their engagement.
But with Prince Harry's then-girlfriend seemingly placing the breaks on their friendship, Morgan has spent the past few years u-turning on his past praise and instead using television and social media to criticise her.
In January last year, after the pair announced that they would be stepping back from royal duties and splitting their time between the United Kingdom and North America, Morgan branded the duchess a "shameless piece of work," and accused her of stealing Harry away from the royal family.
He later applauded the queen for stripping the pair of their HRH titles.