‘Holly Willoughby is literally Jennifer Aniston’: Eagle-eyed fans note Phillip Schofield’s scandalous exit is akin to the drama that besets The Morning Show as the pair’s cameo resurfaces
Phillip Schofield’s scandalous exit from This Morning has sent fans of The Morning Show into a tailspin, after they noted the real-life drama is akin to the chaos that besets Jennifer Aniston in the AppleTV+ series.
The first season of the drama focused on presenter Alex Levy, who is forced to weather the storm of her co-anchor, Mitch Kessler’s #MeToo scandal.
And after Phillip’s bombshell admission that he had an affair with a This Morning colleague, fans were quick to note the show was a case of art imitating life.
One eagle-eyed fan also took to Twitter 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?’
Familiar? Phillip Schofield’s exit from This Morning has sent fans of The Morning Show into a tailspin, as his cameo in the series alongside Holly Willoughby resurfaced
Shocking! This Morning has been surrounded by chaos since Schofield was forced to admit in a statement that he had lied about his relationship with the younger man to ITV
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.
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.
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
‘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.
‘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.’
It comes as car dealer Arnold Clark, the show’s biggest sponsor, announced it will be ending its existing multi-million-pound deal with the channel in autumn as planned.
The company’s multi-year deal with This Morning began in September 2021, but the car dealer has confirmed it will not be renewed when the contract ends later this year.
This Morning has been surrounded by chaos since Schofield was forced to admit in a statement to the Daily Mail on Friday that he had lied about his relationship with the younger man to ITV, his lawyers, his talent agency and his co-star of 14 years.
Last night the scandal showed no signs of easing with new photos emerging of a smiling Schofield with his former lover and Holly Willoughby in 2018 as they left a This Morning Live event.
And the Mail revealed that while ITV insists that it held an investigation into the men’s relationship when rumours began to circulate in 2020, the host’s former lover said he had never been quizzed over the matter.
Willoughby is understood to be battling to maintain her presenting role on the show and hopes to ride out the scandal.
She has been off-air since Schofield’s sudden departure, however, this was due to planned holiday for the school half-term break.
The presenter, who has fronted the show for 14 years, is expected to make a return to the programme on Monday, June 5.
Shocking: The first season of the drama focused on presenter Alex Levy (played by Jennifer Aniston), who is forced to weather the storm of her co-anchor, Mitch Kessler’s #MeToo scandal
But Willoughby is facing calls for her to also leave the show, with former culture secretary Nadine Dorries claiming the popular presenter ‘has questions to answer’.
Since Schofield dramatically left the programme earlier this month, photos of the long-time host have been removed from ITV studios in White City.
A large framed picture of him which hung in Television Centre in London where the show is filmed was also removed.
Some have called for the mid-morning show to be cancelled all together, with the editor who launched it 36 years ago calling for it to ‘die with dignity’ yesterday evening.
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