TV Host's Meghan Markle Rants Slammed by Comedy Legend

Monty Python legend John Cleese has blasted a TV host who nicknamed Meghan Markle "Woke-o Moan-o" during a series of news broadcasts.

Mark Dolan is a presenter on U.K. network GB News, which is currently under fire in Britain over misogynistic comments made on air by a different presenter, Laurence Fox.

In the wake of that scandal, Dolan delivered a piece to the camera denouncing "personal ad hominem attacks," which led media reform campaigners at Stop Funding Hate to compile an edit of his past remarks about Markle.

The host repeatedly referred to her using the nickname "Woke-o Moan-o," derived from Yoko Ono, whose relationship with John Lennon was blamed by some fans for the breakup of The Beatles.

Cleese responded to Stop Funding Hate's clip on X, formerly Twitter: "Mark Dolan is really appalling, isn't he ? It seems to me that GB News is harming itself by putting out this nasty, vulgar rubbish."

Among Dolan's remarks, he described Meghan as "a scheming cynical money grabbing grifter," while elsewhere saying Meghan and Harry were an "indulgent pair of cry babies" and the "Duke and Duchess of Self Pity."

In another clip he said "Woke-o Moan-o keeps on moaning," and separately: "I think meeting this trouble making upstart was the worst thing to ever happen to Harry."

The Backlash Against GB News

In his piece to camera about the Laurence Fox scandal, Dolan said: "Myself and my colleagues rightly condemn personal ad hominem attacks on other people. Where possible we seek to play the ball not the man, or in this case the woman."

The woman he was referring to was not Meghan, but rather British journalist Ava Evans, who was the subject of comments made on air by Fox that are being investigated by U.K. TV regulator Ofcom.

Fox was a guest on the show of long-standing Meghan and Harry critic Dan Wootton, when he said of Evans: "Show me a single, self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman... ever... ever." He later added: "Who'd want to shag that?"

Wootton appeared to laugh along and later apologized on X for failing to challenge the remarks. Fox also apologized.

GB News, which pitches itself as the home of free speech, also apologized and suspended Fox and Wootton, triggering the biggest crisis in the network's two-year history.

A spokesperson said at the time: "GB News has suspended Dan Wootton following comments made on his program by Laurence Fox last night.

"This follows our decision earlier today to formally suspend Mr. Fox. We are conducting a full investigation."

Ofcom said in a statement at the time: "We can confirm we've received a number of complaints about comments made by Laurence Fox on GB News last night.

"We are assessing these complaints against our broadcast rules and will publish the outcome as quickly as possible."

Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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