A petition to dismiss This Morning hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby over allegations they ‘jumped the queue’ during the Queen’s lying-in-state has reached over 37,000 signatures, as viewers reject the stars’ attempt to close the book on the issue.
The pair, who are reportedly paid up to £600,000 for hosting the popular daytime show from Mondays to Thursdays, are facing growing outrage after images of them appearing to “skip the line” emerged on Friday while tens of thousands of mourners waited patiently for more than 12 hours to pay their respects to Her Majesty.
A petition demanding for the broadcasters’ dismissal, stating that they “were able to push through those hundreds and gain rapid access,” hit 37,000 signatures this morning and continues to climb as fans appear to reject the presenters’ attempt to “put a line under” the incident.
Viewers have tweeted that Phil, 60, and Holly, 41, are “too aristocratic to line,” and even pizza business Domino’s has joined in the ridicule.
“Please accept our apologies, but we just received an order from Holly and Phil #ThisMorning,” Domino’s said.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, co-hosts of This Morning, stated, “It was entirely for the purpose of reporting on the occasion for millions of British citizens who were unable to visit Westminster in person.”
Holly and Phil are facing increasing criticism over allegations that they “jumped the queue” at Westminster Hall; they dispute the allegations and assert that they were granted legal authorization to enter the hall.
Holly and Phil stand in front of the Houses of Parliament. According to the two, none of the broadcasters and journalists who attended the Queen’s lying-in-state took a position in line.
Schofield and Willoughby are seen in a TikTok video exiting Westminster Hall after filming there and being accused of skipping the line.
The change.org petition demanding the dismissal of the presenters is gaining more and more signatures every time.
Since its inception four days ago, the change.org petition titled “Remove Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby from Television” is collecting support.
It contends that the show has “monopolized” morning television for too long and that they should not receive “privileges” that ordinary people cannot enjoy.
Holly and Phil have vehemently refuted reports that they skipped the line and instantly defended themselves by stating that they were working and were granted official entry to Westminster Hall along with hundreds of other broadcasters and journalists.
They are devastated by the response and how the bogus accusation that they bypassed the line went viral on social media. Holly has been crying, and Phil has been really distressed,’ a source told The Mirror.
On Tuesday’s broadcast, however, they were resolved to confront the criticism head-on and not shy away from it. They hope they can now put an end to it and that the context is understood.
The irony of the situation is that on their day off on Friday, they traveled to Westminster to work and spent the entire weekend working on the film because they were so determined to provide further coverage of the Queen to their viewers.
Holly and Phil on This Morning as the social media backlash grows and people remark on the situation.
The broadcasters have been mocked online by people who believe they are “too posh to queue,” and even Domino’s has joined in the ridicule.
Holly and Phil rejected viewers’ assertions that they were “too posh to line” in the first broadcast of their program after the controversy erupted, stating that they had been at Westminster Hall for work on Friday.
They stated, ‘Like hundreds of accredited journalists and broadcasters, we were granted official clearance to enter the hall.
It was solely for the purpose of reporting on the occasion for the millions of people in the United Kingdom who were unable to visit Westminster in person.
“According to the rules, we were to be swiftly taken around the perimeter to the rear platform.”
‘In contrast, mourners strolled down a carpeted area next to the casket and were given time to pause.
“None of the broadcasters and journalists in attendance took anyone’s place in line, and none passed the Queen. We naturally followed the rules.
‘However, we recognize that it may have resembled something else, so we completely comprehend the reaction. Please be aware that we would never cut in line.
However, social media users were skeptical, with one stating:
The hosts assured viewers that they would never cut in line as they responded to the allegations leveled against them.
A source close to Holly told MailOnline that they “spent the most of the day chatting with producers regarding queue-gate; they have convinced her that viewer reaction has not been as negative as the social media backlash.”
“Many show insiders continue to fear what the future may contain, although her bosses appear to have calmed her down since the weekend, when she was really unhappy about the situation. The conflict has pushed her closer to Philip.
A source told The Sun on Tuesday evening that Holly was forced to hire attorneys over the weekend due to the dissemination of this incorrect and extremely harmful narrative.
She was devastated by the hostile response she received after showing up to work at Westminster Hall with Phil on Friday, but she would not leave. This Morning has been her life for more than a decade, and she would only contemplate leaving at this point if viewers didn’t want her there, according to a source.
She attempted to tell their side of the story on the show today, and they both hope to move on. The executives are aware that Holly is still a fan favorite and are banking on her to continue working her magic on the show for quite some time.
This Morning executives denied Holly and Phillip ‘VIP access’ and ‘passed the Queen while she lay in state’ on Saturday.
According to one ITV insider, it was made very clear at the time that the clip would show on Tuesday. This was communicated from the onset, and we instantly provided this information. There have been no crisis discussions or discussions about Holly leaving This Morning in the future.’
According to MailOnline, the couple asked that the incident be addressed at the beginning of the broadcast and felt ITV should not have waited so long to handle the situation, spending the weekend ‘in negotiations’ with television executives.
A insider disclosed: ‘Philip and Holly are stunned by the volume of outrage they’ve received in recent days. They believed that ITV should have made it immediately evident that it was part of a program.
However, comparisons were rapidly made to other celebrities who queued for hours alongside the common public, including England football great David Beckham and Holly and Phil’s Good Morning Britain colleague Susanna Reid from ITV.
Prior to this, it was revealed that around 250,000 people paid their respects to the Queen in person by viewing her casket, all of whom had to wait in line for hours. The number was provided by Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan the morning following the burial of the nation’s longest-reigning monarch at Windsor Castle.