MICHAEL Barrymore has broken his silence following his chaotic appearance on today’s edition of ITV’s This Morning.
The legendary entertainer, 71, was in a mischievous mood on the daytime telly show, playfully poking fun at hosts Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle.
Michael Barrymore appeared on This Morning today and caused chaos in the studio
Michael was introduced before the break and claimed he didn’t know anyone on TV anymore
Host Craig Doyle and Josie Gibson struggled to manage Michael
The segment split opinion with some branding it a “car crash” while others begged Michael to do more on mainstream telly.
Josie and Craig had their hands full when the nineties star jokingly ranted and threatened to derail the show.
But afterwards it was clear Michael had nothing but love for the duo, sharing a selfie with the pair and writing on his social media accounts: “Thank you for having me @thismorning x.”
Craig and Josie have been standing in for Holly Willoughby, who is on her summer break in Portugal.
They were forced to cut to an ad break as a laughing Michael shouted: “I thought it was Alison [Hammond] and the other one [Dermot O’Leary], who are you two??
“Who are they? I know the names of all the cameramen but I don’t know you two.”
Michael then impersonated Craig’s Irish accent, and Josie finally snapped: “It’s my turn now!”
Viewers were stunned by Michael’s antics and reacted in their droves on Twitter, with one posting: “This is excruciating. Why is Barrymore being so insulting towards Josie, Craig and the show in general. No need.”
Another wrote: “Hope Josie and Craig are getting a bonus for this discomfort.”
A third tweeted a laughing emoji and said: “I get the feeling Barrymore was told NOT to say Where’s Phil and Holly.”
After the break, Michael had calmed down and claimed his tongue-in-cheek ranting was all an act to entertain viewers.
He said: “Entertainment is forgetting about your troubles… it’s about the people. The people made me, and now I’m back.
“Though not everyone knows I’m back.”
The pair also asked him about his new West End show, and his surprise fame on TikTok.
He told them: “The majority of my audience are 18 to 24 [years old], and there’s a whole new audience around the world, and now I’m sitting here talking to you. I’m happy.”
Michael was one of the UK’s most popular TV presenters from the 1980s to the early 2000s.
His game show Strike It Lucky ran from 1986 until 1999.
However, he was axed from ITV after the tragic death of Stuart Lubbock, 31, in the swimming pool of his Essex home in 2001.
Hinting at his past troubles, he added today: “Everyone has stuff to go through. Sorry, I’m getting a bit emotional.”
Michael has become a star on TikTok
The presenter was well known for his Strike It Lucky game show
