Piers Morgan sparks outrage over 'skin-crawling' skirt comment

Breakfast show host Piers Morgan is being blasted over a "skin-crawling" comment he made just hours after International Women's Day.

Appearing on the Good Morning Britain program on Tuesday, Morgan made a "misogynistic" comment about co-star Charlotte Hawkins' outfit.

"The first sign of summer traditionally at Good Morning Britain has been Charlotte Hawkins arriving in a mini-skirt for work,' the host said.

Following the awkward comment, Morgan asked his co-star to stand up and show viewers her outfit.

Charlotte Hawkins stands up as Piers Morgan watches on during the Good Morning Britain program.
Piers Morgan asked co-star Charlotte Hawkins to stand up to show viewers her outfit. Source: ITV

Wearing a dress that ended just above the knee, Hawkins stood uncomfortably and said: "It's just a dress, honestly. It's just a dress".

Morgan claimed it wasn't a dress to which Hawkins said she did not know why he was getting overexcited about it while appearing to be agitated.

"We like to embrace a bit of sunshine," she added as she sat down.

"Am I complaining?" Morgan hit back.

TV host condemned for comments

A number of people expressed their disgust at Morgan's comments to his co-star, especially as they were made just hours after International Women's Day ended.

"What you said was misogynistic," one person bluntly tweeted.

"In case you missed it, Piers Morgan was distracted by a young woman anchor today on his show and wanted the world to see if she was wearing a 'mini-skirt' or a dress," a woman said on Twitter.

"This is harassment. Women are done being objectified."

"This is seriously hard to watch," a third added.

"You can literally see the moment where her skin started to crawl," another said.

ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland even weighed in on Twitter, saying, "This is pretty gross".

Piers Morgan quits Good Morning Britain

It was a dramatic episode of Good Morning Britain with Morgan also walking off on-air during Tuesday's episode.

Morgan copped backlash for suggesting statements made by Meghan Markle during her exclusive interview with Oprah about her mental health were false.

Piers Morgan appears on Good Morning Britain.
Piers Morgan has been slammed over 'misogynistic' comments. Source: ITV

After years of rants about Markle, co-star and weatherman Alex Beresford called him out and said he had made his dislike for the Duchess of Sussex clear a number of times.

"I understand that you've got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle, or had one and she cut you off. She's entitled to cut you off if she wants to," he added.

"Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don't think she has, yet you continue to trash her."

Morgan then stormed off set and ITV later released a statement saying the host had stepped down from the program.

"Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain," the network said in a statement.

"ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add."

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.