Broadcasting regulator Ofcom received more than 400 viewer complaints about Good Morning Britain in the past week, with the vast majority targeting a single episode.
The September 11 broadcast attracted 354 complaints specifically related to remarks made during a segment discussing Charlie Kirk's assassination.
The controversial comments came from guest Nels Abbey during a debate about the American political commentator's death at Utah Valley University.
Mr Abbey's comparison of Mr Kirk to a former Ku Klux Klan leader sparked immediate backlash from viewers who found the timing and content of his remarks deeply inappropriate.
ITV GMB: Nels Abbey has landed the show in hot water
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The episode aired less than 24 hours after Mr Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck whilst addressing a crowd at the Utah university campus on Wednesday.
During the heated television discussion, Mr Abbey drew a parallel between Kirk and David Duke, who previously led the Ku Klux Klan. "I don't believe he was a Cicero for the TikTok age, I believe he was a David Duke for the TikTok age," Mr Abbey stated when asked for his perspective on the tragedy.
Mr Abbey clarified after being pressed by Kate Garraway who Mr Duke was, identifying him as "the former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan" before emphasising his opposition to political violence.
He characterised Mr Kirk as "quite clearly and comfortably a supremacist" rather than a conservative figure.
LATEST CHARLIE KIRK DEVELOPMENTS:
ITV GMB: Nels Abbey told Ed Balls and Kate Garraway how he felt Charlie Kirk was on a part with a 'KKK leader'
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The guest's remarks came during a broader conversation about Mr Kirk's death, with Mr Abbey acknowledging that whilst he condemned the murder, he believed there were "moral lessons" to be drawn from the incident.
The programme's hosts, Ms Garraway and Ed Balls, were joined by Michael Gove alongside Mr Abbey for the discussion. Mr Gove initially described Mr Kirk as "a sort of Cicero for the TikTok age" and highlighted his role in promoting President Donald Trump's message to younger voters across American campuses.
When Ms Garraway pointed out that Mr Kirk engaged in debates where he faced "very vigorous debate back" as part of free speech, Mr Abbey maintained his stance.
He stated Mr Kirk had previously suggested that gun deaths were "a worthy sacrifice for the Second Amendment" and claimed the commentator "never thought that it could be him."
Charlie Kirk was speaking at a campus event in Utah when he was killed | REUTERSMr Abbey concluded by saying "the exact same thing that he sort of helped to legitimise for them has happened to him," whilst reiterating his condemnation of the violence.
The television segment triggered widespread condemnation on social media platform X, with numerous viewers expressing outrage at Mr Abbey's characterisation of the murdered activist.
One viewer wrote that Mr Abbey "compared Charlie Kirk to a KKK leader and called him a white supremacist... whilst pretending to show some sympathy for the murder," calling the timing "shameful" given it occurred within 24 hours of Mr Kirk's death.
Multiple viewers demanded that the hosts should have intervened, with one describing Mr Abbey's "tone and comparisons" as "abhorrent." Another accused Mr Abbey of using the platform to "vilify" Mr Kirk, noting the activist "didn't read from scripts" and encouraged diverse thinking amongst students.
On ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Nels Abbey had the audacity to call Charlie Kirk a “white supremacist” and liken him to David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the KKK.
— Nicholas Lissack (@NicholasLissack) September 11, 2025
Utterly sickening. He hasn’t even been dead a day, and this is what they say.
The British media is disgraceful. pic.twitter.com/QLmiDX8BUl
Several comments highlighted Mr Kirk's bereaved family, with viewers calling Mr Abbey's remarks "vile, slanderous, and deeply disrespectful" and questioning how someone could be murdered simply for "talking/debating."
Tyler James Robinson, aged 22, has been formally charged with the aggravated murder of Mr Kirk. The Washington, Utah resident faces additional charges for weapons offences and obstruction of justice.
ITV GMB: Nels Abbey and Michael Gove discussed the assassination
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Mr Robinson was scheduled to appear in court following his arrest after the Utah Valley University shooting.
FBI investigators have interviewed Mr Robinson's family members and executed a search warrant at his residence, located approximately 240 miles from the shooting location.