A war of words has exploded between morning TV host Piers Morgan and Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner over mental health. Morgan has been dubbed a “tw*t.” He clapped back by slamming “snowflakes.”
Things kicked off after Morgan tweeted his support for a UK soap actress’ comment that celebrities are trying to make mental health issues fashionable. This prompted Turner, who plays Sansa Stark in the hugely popular HBO series, to respond.
Morgan responded by asking her not to abuse him, writing, “it’s harmful to my mental health. Thanks.”
Things quickly escalated, with Turner then blasting off an additional four tweets slamming people who joke about mental illness. She wrote that “depression is the second biggest killer in affluent Europe and America,” adding she believes this is because of the stigma surrounding mental illness. Morgan was quick to dismiss her reply as “foul-mouthed abuse” and “virtue signalling.”
Morgan also retweeted a tweet Turner had sent last week in which she joked she had “Trump derangement syndrome,” which appeared to go against her central argument about how best to discuss mental health.
Twitter was soon divided between those backing Morgan’s position that some claim to suffer mental illness as a form of attention-seeking, while others were outraged he could be so dismissive of suffering and add to the stigma.
Coming under fire from other Twitter users, Morgan later responded:“As I’ve always said, those suffering from genuine mental illness need proper help & support. Those just shirking responsibility for normal life challenges need to toughen up. We should teach mental strength & resilience in schools. This concept is only offensive to snowflakes.”
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