Piers Morgan Slammed for Irresponsible 'Baby Reindeer' Interview

Piers Morgan is being criticized online for interviewing the alleged real-life woman behind the stalker in the Netflix series Baby Reindeer.

Based on an award-winning hit Edinburgh Fringe one-man play, Baby Reindeer follows struggling comic Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd) as he is persistently tormented and hounded by his stalker, Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning).

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The show details the emotional toll it takes on Dunn, who has been entangled with Scott for years. The seven-part series is based on Gadd's real-life experiences of being a victim of stalking, sexual assault and abuse.

On May 8, Morgan revealed that a woman named Fiona Harvey, who claims Martha is based on her, will be on the May 9 episode of his show, Piers Morgan Uncensored.

People on X (formerly Twitter) aren't impressed with the British journalist's decision to have Harvey on his show, with many slamming it for being "irresponsible" and "vile."

Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Morgan for comment on Thursday.

"*WORLD EXCLUSIVE* The real-life Martha from Baby Reindeer breaks cover and gives me her first TV interview about the smash hit Netflix show. Fiona Harvey wants to have her say & 'set the record straight.' Is she a psycho stalker? Find out tomorrow on ⁦@PiersUncensored," Morgan posted on X, alongside a photo of himself and Harvey in his studio.

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At the time of writing, the post had been viewed 7.6 million times.

People have flocked to the comments and replies to share their disdain for the interview.

"Exploiting someone who is - if baby reindeer is accurate in its representation - very clearly mentally unwell in the name of "setting the record straight" not only puts her in danger but also allows richard gadd's (likely) trauma to be debated for what?? fun?? vile," one person wrote.

"Men like piers morgan will cry about male victims not getting the same recognition as female victims, and then go ahead and platform their abuser/stalker when they do," said another.

"This story has highlighted the many issues we have in British journalism when it comes to duty of care to contributors and training on mental health reporting. This woman is clearly mentally unwell + vulnerable. Journalists need to stop giving her air time so they can go 'viral,'" a third person commented.

A different X user added: "This woman is mentally ill. This is irresponsible."

However, others shared how much they are looking forward to the interview.

"Must see TV!!! Would be awesome if the Baby Reindeer interview broke the Donald Trump viewership record for Piers Morgan Uncensored," one person wrote.

"I mean if that lad can turn her life into a no1 Netflix special then why can't she respond," said another.

"I CANNOT WAITTT," a third commented.

A fourth added: "This is just completely irresponsible and downright exploitative and for those reasons I will absolutely be tuning in."

The Netflix series has gone viral since its release on April 11 and many online have speculated about Gadd's story, including who the real person is behind Martha. Despite people's curiosity, Gadd previously asked fans on his Instagram stories to respect people's privacy.

"Please don't speculate on who any of the real-life people could be. That's not the point of our show. Lots of love, Richard," he wrote.

Harvey's appearance on Morgan's show will air on his YouTube channel on May 9 at 8 p.m. BST, which means it will be available at 3 p.m. ET on the same day.

Update 05/09/24 at 7:40 a.m. ET; This article was updated with more comments about the show.