ITV Deny Eamonn Holmes Was Reprimanded For Calling Meghan Markle ‘Uppity’ After Viewer Complained The Word Is Racist.
The TV host was unaware that the word was used as a 19th century insult to black people in the US who ‘did not know their place’ when he used it during a discussion about privacy on This Morning in July.
Debating an incident at Wimbledon, in which attempts had been made to stop tennis fans photographing the Duchess of Sussex, Holmes had used the term to “describe what he interpreted as arrogance”, according to Ade Rawcliffe, ITV’s Head of Diversity.
Holmes had said: “If you have an uppity attitude, you’re only through the door two minutes and suddenly you’re sitting at Wimbledon and your royal protection are saying, ‘No photographs, no photographs!”
The broadcast prompted a viewer to complain to Ofcom and ITV that the word was racist.
Unaware of history
In a response to the complaint after discussions with Ofcom, reported by the The Mail on Sunday, Ms Rawcliffe wrote: “Eamonn was unaware of the history of the term ‘uppity’ and how it could be interpreted when describing Meghan Markle.
