This Morning viewers accuse Phillip Schofield of ‘missing the point’ after on-air debate over calling out abuse

‘You’re one of the “not all men” then’, said guest Nicola Thorp

A debate erupted on This Morning earlier today (15 March) over women’s safety, with host Phillip Schofield saying he’s never failed to call out sexist abuse.

The discussion follows a week in which male violence against women has been at the forefront of public discourse, after a male police officer was charged with the kidnap and murder of 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard.

Appearing on the ITV morning show, former Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp said: “Not all men are abusers, but all men I think at some point in their life have passed up an opportunity to call out abuse.”

“Well I haven’t... not to my knowledge,” replied Schofield, to which Thorp responded: “Well there we go, you’re one of the ‘not all men’ then.”

“I actually don’t suspect there are probably a great many men who have,” added the host. “I’m hearing in the gallery a number of men who work on the show saying ‘no, that hasn’t happened to me.’”

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Thorp said that Schofield’s claim was “very difficult to believe”.

“I, as a woman, have been in a situation where I’ve seen someone being harassed, or lads talking about women in a certain way, and I haven’t felt like I’ve been able to step in,” she said. “It doesn’t mean that you’re at fault but it means you missed out on an opportunity to be a part of the solution.”

The exchange sparked debate among This Morning viewers, with some voicing their opinion on social media.

One person claimed that Schofield had “missed the point” of Thorp’s comments.

“Wow the amount of people, men and women, on here missing the point of what the woman on @thismorning was trying to say,” wrote one viewer. “Including @Schofe.”

“I thank you for stepping up,” wrote someone else. “But most men will walk past a building site or witness catcalls and not say a word in defence. That’s not speaking up.”

“If you’re defensive instead of listening and understanding, you’re part of the problem,” wrote another viewer.

This Morning airs on ITV at 10am every weekday.