Holly Willoughby’s speech addressing the Phillip Schofield scandal on Monday’s This Morning has direct parallels with a hit TV show, viewers have pointed out.
The presenter made her return to ITV on Monday after two weeks off air and started the show by addressing her former co-star’s exit in an emotional monologue.
Viewers couldn’t help pointing out that Holly’s piece to camera had striking similarities to the speech given by Jennifer Aniston’s character Alex Levy in the opening episode of the hit AppleTV+ series The Morning Show.
The first season of the drama focused on presenter Alex, who is forced to weather the storm of her co-anchor Mitch Kessler’s #MeToo scandal.
Spot the difference: Holly Willoughby’s speech addressing the Phillip Schofield scandal on Monday’s This Morning has direct parallels with a hit TV show, viewers have pointed out
The opening episode sees Alex address Mitch’s exit with an on-air speech in which she tells herself to ‘stay strong’ before speaking to the viewers.
Holly opened her own speech by telling herself ‘right, deep breath.’
She then asked if viewers ‘are OK’ stating that ‘I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have – shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on, and full of questions.’
In The Morning Show speech Alex also checks in on viewers, telling the camera: ‘And to you at home, I understand how you must be feeling because I and the whole team here at The Morning Show are feeling the same way.’
Both speeches end with talk of family and the presenters’ pride at working on their shows as they look to the future.
Viewers were quick to point out the similarities on Twitters as they watched Holly’s speech, with one quipping: ‘Anyone else getting Jennifer Aniston “the morning show” vibes?’
‘This is uncanny’ agreed another, while another tweeted in reply to ITV ‘Feels like the morning show you guys need to be creative and create some original drama.’
Shaking: The presenter made her return to ITV on Monday after two weeks off air and started the show by addressing her former co-star’s exit from the show in an emotional monologue (pictured with her co-host on Monday Jodie Gibson)
The Morning Show: Aniston stars as a TV anchor struggling to retain her position at a leading morning program after her co-host (Steve Carell) is fired over sexual misconduct allegations
Exit: Holly’s co-host Phillip Schofield was dropped by ITV last week and later admitted he had lied to bosses at This Morning, Holly and his family about his affair with a younger colleague
One eagle-eyed fan also took to Twitter last week to note that in another hilarious twist of fate, Holly and Phillip made a cameo in The Morning Show, appearing in the background of a scene where Alex is embroiled in a row with show bosses.
The screenshot was reposted by one fan, who wrote: ‘Holly Willoughby is literally Jennifer Aniston in The Mornin Show. A show that they also featured in the background on… full circle moment? Or subliminal messages?’
Another added: ‘Sorry but I haven’t seen anyone draw the obvious comparison between #TheMorningShow and #ThisMorning stuff – very on the nose??
‘Like everybody yapping about what ifs and who knew – it’s all covered in season one pretty fantastically no?’
A third added: ‘We’re basically watching #TheMorningShow in real life loool.’
One eagle-eyed fan also shared: ‘This whole @thismorning drama feels like watching @TheMorningShow in real time.’
The eery similarities between The Morning Show and This Morning’s real-life drama were echoed by The Daily Mail columnist Nadine Dorries.
Parallels: Viewers were quick to point out the similarities on Twitters as they watched Holly’s speech, with one quipping: ‘Anyone else getting Jennifer Aniston “the morning show” vibes?’
Jennifer Aniston’s speech in The Morning Show
Good morning. I’m bringing you some sad and upsetting news.
Mitch Kessler, my cohost and partner of years, was fired today for sexual misconduct.
All right. Stay strong.
First and foremost, I want to offer our sympathy and support to the women.
We are devastated that this happened on our watch, and our hearts are with you.
And to you at home, I understand how you must be feeling because I and the whole team here at The Morning Show are feeling the same way.
Shock, disappointment, disbelief.
And while I don’t know the details of the allegations, I understand that they were serious and that keeping Mitch on was not an option.
We know he was part of our family, of your families. We will all miss that person.
But there are consequences in life. As a woman, I can say there often aren’t enough of them.
And while I will miss the Mitch I thought I knew with all of my heart… I am proud to work on a network and live in a country that upholds consequences.
So, please have patience with us as we find our footing in the next few days.
We will bring you the news, as always.
We will share any information we have with you.
You are part of this family. And we will get through this together.
We’ll be right back.
Holly Willoughby’s speech on This Morning
Hi there. Good morning. Josie (Gibson), thank you for being here. Right, deep breath. ‘Firstly, are you OK? It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil.
‘And I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have – shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on, and full of questions.
‘You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV, and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process.
‘And it’s equally hard to see the toll that it’s taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and wellbeing of everyone.
‘I hope that, as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.
‘And, from my heart, can I just say thank you for all of your kind messages. And thank you for being here this morning.
‘Myself, Josie (Gibson), Dermot (O’Leary), Alison (Hammond), Craig (Doyle), and every single person that works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you this show that we love.’
Familiar? One eagle-eyed fan also took to Twitter last week to note that in another hilarious twist of fate, Holly and Phillip made a cameo in The Morning Show
She wrote: ‘When I was approached to host my own TV programme, a producer friend suggested I watch The Morning Show, a hit series starring Jennifer Aniston as a news anchor.
‘The behind-the-scenes look at a fictional, New York-based daily breakfast show would give me an understanding of how such programmes are made, my friend said.
‘It was good advice. It was also good television. I was gripped, binge-watching every episode. And, as the Phillip Schofield saga played out this past week, I was reminded of one in particular.
‘The series kicks off with breaking news: Aniston’s co-anchor, Mitch Kessler, is caught up in a #MeToo scandal. It’s a familiar story.
‘A dominant man using his position as a powerful and trusted figure in order to exploit, in this case, junior staff desperate to progress their careers in a fiercely competitive industry.
‘Chaos ensues, and both the ratings and the network’s share price plummet.
‘Kessler protests his innocence, despite the evidence against him — and then tries to take everyone down with him.
Look who it is! As Holly and Phil’s famous cameo resurfaced, many fans took to social media to note the pair’s scandal was a case of life imitating art
‘In episode three, Aniston’s character — Alex Levy — wants to interview one of Kessler’s victims live on the show. Her bosses, desperate to limit further damage to the network, insist the victim is unreliable and can only have a short segment.
‘During the heated discussion that follows, there is, bizarrely and for no apparent reason, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it clip of Phil and Holly in action on one of the giant studio screens in the background. (The British sofa duo were so delighted with their five-second appearance that they noted it on their own show.)
‘Was that clip in that context purely co-incidental? Probably . . . But at the time I wondered how likely it was that a real U.S. TV station would be running a feed of a mid-morning, British magazine show such as This Morning.
‘If I was given to conspiracy theories, I’d be thinking there was a subliminal message there: a nod to the fact that Phillip Schofield’s conduct was one of the best-kept secrets in showbusiness.’
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