Piers Morgan slams ‘utterly ridiculous’ gender neutral MTV Awards as Emma Watson makes history

The TV presenter mocked Watson for being the “great flag bearer of all things gender neutral”
Emma Powell8 May 2017
The Weekender

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Piers Morgan kicked off Good Morning Britain with an epic rant as he challenged the introduction of “utterly ridiculous” gender neutral categories at the MTV TV and Movie Awards.

Morgan, 52, hit out at Emma Watson, who made history by picking up the Best Actor gong at Sunday night’s ceremony for her role as Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

Addressing the new move, Morgan said: “Gender neutral awards, just what the world was craving. I can’t think of a better recipient than Emma Watson, a great flag bearer of all things gender neutral.”

Morgan said the introduction of such awards will eventually lead to more inequality and result in a world where gender no longer exists.

Making history: Emma Watson with her Best Actor award
Danny Moloshok/Reuters

“Women will now win a lot less awards because they’ve made them gender neutral and there are more male actors so actually in trying to get equality you end up with more inequality,” he said.

“Is the world becoming gender neutral? Do we need to have men and women? Do we just get rid of all of it and take the ‘man’ out of ‘woman’ and call them ‘woes’? You’ve got man in there, that’s offensive and sexist. We can’t be ‘men’ anymore, we have to be called persons and everything becomes gender neutral.

“The Queen can’t be called the Queen anymore and we can’t call her ‘her majesty’ so she’ll have to be ‘the majesty.

“Eventually I’ll have to smash my head repeatedly into a brick wall. I think it’s all utterly ridiculous.”

Morgan struggled to let the issue rest and picked up his rant minutes later, joking that he can recommend a doctor to anyone who thinks ending gender is a good thing.

MTV Awards 2017 - In pictures

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He continued: “Am I wrong? Is it just me or am I a creaking old dinosaur that just doesn’t get it? Should we ban the word man from life itself? Should nothing anymore be male or female? Little babies just be little babies, no longer boys and girls? Should we end gender as we know it?

“Let me know your thoughts, and if anyone thinks we should, I’ve got a doctor you can see later.”

Viewers praised his lengthy outburst with many claiming the world has “gone mad”.

Another wrote: “I don't usually agree with you Piers, but on this one you are right. It's reinforcing that society is now beyond ridiculous. What next!??!”

Tearful: Millie Bobby Brown won the Best Actor in a TV Show gong
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

A second posted: “Piers it's becoming a joke - we are pandering to a new age gender neutral load of codswallap'.”

Others hit out at the controversial presenter, with one posting: “Piers Morgan sounding more and more like a grand father clock in a digital age. Makes a lot of noise but gathering dust in the corner.”

Watson made history when she accepted the Best Actor accolade for film, while fellow Brit Millie Bobby Brown picked up the TV equivalent.

Speaking on stage Watson said: “MTV's move to create a genderless award for acting will mean something different to everyone. But to me, it indicates that acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. And that doesn't need to be separated into two different categories.”

She also made a shout out to Asia Kate Dillon, saying she was equally as honoured to accept the gong from Dillon who became the first non-binary actor to play a character who identifies the same way when she played Taylor Mason in Billions.

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