John Cleese Slams GB News Host As 'Appalling' Over Meghan Markle Rants

Comedy legend John Cleese does not support the vitriol against Meghan Markle. He shared his opinion in a social media post in which he reacted to the vile comments aimed at the duchess by TV host Mark Dolan.

The GB News presenter delivered a piece in which he denounced "personal ad hominem attacks" in the wake of complaints filed against the network for misogynistic comments aired by his fellow host Laurence Fox.

He said: "Myself and my colleagues rightly condemn personal ad hominem attacks on other people. Where possible, we seek to play the ball, not the man or in this case the woman."

Dolan's piece led media reform campaigners at Stop Funding Hate to compile videos of the many times he criticised Meghan Markle and called her vile names on TV. In these clips, he repeatedly called her using the nickname "Woke-o Moan-o" which is derived from Yoko Ono, whose relationship with John Lennon many fans to believe caused the breakup of The Beatles.

Dolan also called the Duchess of Sussex a "scheming cynical money grabbing grifter" and a "narcissistic wife who will stop at nothing to pursue her own self interest". He also previously said of the mum-of-two: "I'd rather be chained to a radiator than chained to this shallow, duplicitous TV actress."

Elsewhere, he called the couple an "indulgent pair of cry babies" and "spineless amphibians" while referring to Prince Harry as the "Duke of Self Pity".

Stop Funding Hate ended the montage with the message: "No wonder advertisers are steering clear...Let's stop the vitriol. #DontFundGBNews."

In response to the post, Cleese wrote: "Mark Dolan is really appalling, isn't he? It seems to me that GB News is harming itself by putting out this nasty, vulgar rubbish."

Aside from Dolan, fellow GB News presenter Dan Wootton has also publicly criticised Meghan Markle on his show "Dan Wootton Tonight". He has also been inviting guests on his show who share his dislike for the duchess.

GB News said that the channel has never been a "place that tolerates personally denigrating comments or insults". But most of its presenters have done just that, spewing insults not just at the Duchess of Sussex but also other people including Greta Thunberg.

Dolan's post comes following an investigation by Ofcom into Wootton's interview with Fox about British journalist Ava Evans. Fox had said of Evans: "Show me a single, self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman ever...Who'd want to shag that?" Wootton also apologised to Evans for his "misogynistic" interview which eventually led to him and Fox being suspended from GB News.