This Morning host Dermot O’Leary takes a swipe at the show’s ‘TOXIC’ environment

This Morning star Dermot O’Leary took a swipe at the show’s explosive scandals with a toxicity joke on Friday’s show.

Last month, 61-year-old Phillip Schofield left the show after admitting to having an affair with a younger man whom he labeled “unwise but not illegal.”

In an interview with the BBC following the revelation of the scandal, he had to refute claims that he was enforcing a toxic environment behind the scenes.

As the scandal continues to rumble, Phillip has been much talked about in the showbiz world, but This Morning’s stars, including Dermot and fellow favorite Alison Hammond, have remained eerily silent.

However, this was thrown out on the magazine show’s Friday episode, when producers played Britney Spears’ 2003 hit Toxic, which led to Dermot saying “Don’t mention the T-word!”, before asking the bosses “what they thought” .

While co-host Alison laughed at the comment when he pointed up and said, “What were you thinking about up there?”, she added, “Don’t do it again.”

As he walked around, Dermot added, “Sorry I just dripped from my mouth. I am everywhere today. I have hay fever, I dribble – am I getting old?…

“It’s such a day today.”

The scenes come shortly after Phillip’s scandal broke, in which he confessed to lying about an affair with an associate of the show.

In addition to news of the romance, allegations of backstage behavior surfaced.

Dr. Ranj Singh, a regular guest on This Morning, accused the show of a ‘toxic’ culture of bullying and discrimination, adding that he had taken his concerns to ‘the top’ but felt he had been ‘provoked’ and was dropped from screens.

After Phillip issued his statement insisting there had been “no toxicity” on This Morning, his former co-star Eamonn Holmes branded him “delusional.”

Eamonn – who previously helped present This Morning but now works for GB News – issued a scathing reply to the statement, saying that if Schofield was ‘looking for a fight’ then he had ‘picked the wrong person’.

The 63-year-old tweeted: ‘Schofield just made a delusional statement…

Like Holly, he puts it on Insta Stories, so if it goes wrong, there’s no record after 24 hours. I’m reluctant to give the liar any more publicity, but believe me, Pip, if you’re picking a fight, you’ve picked the wrong person!’

Holmes has been a critic of Schofield for several years, believing he would get his “credit” for the way he treated others – including wife Ruth Langsford.

He and Schofield were never close, but appreciated each other’s broadcasting styles and worked side by side professionally.

But that all changed in 2019, when Langsford made an official complaint against Schofield after she was cut off the link midway through by the presenter as she explained what was going on on the show during a mini-segment on This Morning.

Schofield said, “Guys, we’re going to have to jump in and hold you back, I’m afraid, because we’re a little short on time on this side. Thank you, Ruth.’

A clearly unimpressed Langsford replied, “Well, I only had two words left to say,” and looked away from the camera.

Speaking about the incident on the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine in February 2022, Holmes went public in his condemnation of Schofield, saying his wife is one of many people in the industry who are “disapproved of” by the presenter.

He said, “Phillip is known for snubbing people. He is very passive-aggressive. It’s up to Ruth to say how she felt, but I felt hurt for her. No one would have snubbed me like that.’

He added. “I don’t like presenters who think they have a special privilege or aura or influence.”

It comes as This Morning’s former GP, Dr Ranj Singh, lashed out at the show’s ‘toxic’ culture, claiming last night that two years ago when he worked there, he raised concerns about ‘bullying and discrimination’ and then felt that he was ‘managed’. for whistle blowing.

Schofield addressed the claims in a statement on Instagram today, writing, “Now that I’m no longer working on This Morning, I’m free to say this.

“I hope you’ve 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. You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you want.

“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 amazing, talented, kind, hard-working people.”

In a statement yesterday, Dr Ranj said the “problems” at This Morning “go far beyond” the host.

He said, “I was on the show for 10 years and I really loved and appreciated working there.

Over time, however, I became increasingly concerned about what went on behind the scenes and how people, including myself, were treated.

“I didn’t know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know that the problems with TM (This Morning) go way beyond him.

Dr. Ranj said he had raised concerns with senior executives at ITV as he had been heavily involved in “diversity, anti-bullying and mental health projects” across the channel.