"Good Morning Britain" host Piers Morgan is facing backlash after appearing to mock the Chinese language on air Tuesday.
While talking about an advertisement for a Chinese milk brand that featured Peter Phillips, Queen Elizabeth’s eldest grandson, Morgan began making noises in reference to the name of the brand. As the show played a clip of the ad, Morgan and his co-host, Susanna Reid, laughed at the mention of Phillips.
“Ching chang chong chong,” Morgan said as the ad, voiced in Chinese, played.
Reid called his comments “rather 1970,” and Morgan repeated, “ching chang chong milk,” saying that it was what was said in the advertisement. Reid insisted that the ad was in Chinese, and Morgan asked if he couldn’t repeat what was said.
“I can’t speak Chinese,” Morgan said. “I’m trying to mimic the words of that advertisement.”
Morgan later backtracked on his remarks, tweeting that he was actually mocking Peter Phillips.
“I was mocking a member of the British royal family appearing in an advert for Chinese state milk, not Chinese people,” Morgan said.
But not everyone was convinced. Several Twitter users denounced Morgan’s mockery of Chinese.
“I have no words,” one person wrote. “In 2020, I am still experiencing racial mockery like this in schools. Need I say more about how ignorant pomposity such as this is not funny and it perpetuates prejudice.”
Good Morning Britain has not commented on the incident.