ITV’s This Morning Suddenly Taken Off Air as Dermot O’Leary Drops Major Announcement

Fans of This Morning were taken aback as Wednesday’s episode wrapped up earlier than usual, concluding at 12:15 p.m. Host Dermot O’Leary informed viewers of the schedule adjustment, saying, “That’s it from us, finishing a little bit earlier today for an ITV news special.” The change allowed ITV to air a special broadcast of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget 2024 announcement.

The schedule shift was hinted at the day before on Loose Women when Ruth Langsford announced that the popular panel show would not air on Wednesday due to the special budget coverage. Typically running from Monday to Friday between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., Loose Women was temporarily set aside to accommodate the news broadcast.

During Tuesday’s episode, Langsford interrupted her guests to break the news, saying, “I’ve got to stop you there.” She expressed gratitude to both her guests and the audience, adding, “We are running out of time massively. Thank you so much. That is it for today; we are not here tomorrow. It is the Budget, how lovely.” She reassured viewers, however, that Loose Women would return to its regular schedule on Thursday with guests from Strictly Come Dancing, including Johannes and Montell.

This special ITV coverage of the Budget 2024 was scheduled to run from 12:15 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday. Following this, Loose Women will resume on Thursday at 12:30 p.m., and This Morning will go back to its regular end time of 12:30 p.m. as well, reports the Mirror.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget marks Labour’s first in 14 years and includes what Reeves has described as “difficult decisions.” The budget will outline the government’s approach to adjusting taxes and will also include key plans for spending on health, education, policing, and other essential public services. Conservative Party leader and opposition head Rishi Sunak is scheduled to respond to the budget announcement immediately after Reeves concludes her address.

In the lead-up to the early finish, This Morning hosts Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond featured a lineup of notable guests, including Strictly Come Dancing’s Pete Wicks, actress Anna Maxwell Martin, and The Great British Bake Off winner Nancy Birtwhistle, who joined the show for a cooking segment.

As the episode wrapped up early, viewers quickly took to social media to share their reactions. One Twitter, now X, user commented, “Wait where did #thismorning go… The budget doesn’t need to be on every channel.” Another quipped, “#ThisMorning ending 15 minutes early because of the Chancellor Budget,” while another simply bid goodbye to the show with a waving emoji.

While the programming change caught some viewers off guard, fans can expect both Loose Women and This Morning to resume as usual on Thursday following the budget announcement.