The Ghost of Instagram Past: How a 2022 Photo of Celia Walden Just Broke the Internet

Piers Morgan ended a live interview after his influencer guest showed Celia Walden's 'pool boy' photo.

A 2022 Instagram photo of Celia Walden prompted Piers Morgan to cut his live interview with 'manosphere' influencer Harrison Sullivan on Wednesday, abruptly ending the show.

Sullivan, 24, better known by his online alias 'HSTikkyTokky,' was a guest on Piers Morgan Uncensored to discuss his appearance in Louis Theroux's Inside the Manosphere, Netflix's documentary about the rise of ultra-masculine influencers and their expanding network.

Heated Debate Devolves into Insults

Sullivan and Morgan sparred off the bat early on in the interview, the latter increasingly asserting Sullivan's negative influence on young men with his controversial views. The combative debate was typical of the show's format and Morgan's abrasive approach.

Things came to a head when Morgan called Sullivan homophobic for admitting that he would disown a child who came out as gay. Sullivan rolled with the punches and hit back, insisting that he would call that 'good parenting' instead.

The conversation devolved into insinuations, with Sullivan making inappropriate comments about Morgan's wife, Celia Walden, at one point. 'We can all have a push and a shove sir. Let's go back to talking about the documentary and less of the homophobia,' Sullivan said.

Morgan fired back, saying, 'I watched the documentary and I think you're a f****ng idiot. I think you're a sexist, misogynistic, homophobic twerp, who got exposed in a global way by Netflix, by Louis Theroux.' Sullivan appeared to be taking things in stride, despite the insults.

The Instagram Post That Ended a Live Interview

The interview reached its breaking point when Sullivan casually pulled out his phone, to show a photo of Walden in a swimsuit.

Walden lay by the pool in the image, with a sign that read 'Wanted, Pool Boy, no experience needed.' She posted the photo on Instagram in August 2022, with a caption that read 'Applications open.'

Morgan decided that he had had enough. 'You know what. I'm not doing this,' he said, and abruptly walked off camera. Sullivan, who remained onscreen, said 'cooked,' implying that he rage-baited Morgan to stop the interview.

From Social Media Post to Viral Lightning Rod

The heated row spiked interest in Walden and her relationship with Morgan. Online searches for Celia Walden peaked over the last 24 hours, with her name and Morgan's ranking in Google Trends.

That viral moment only showed how media narratives are dismantled by a single social media post. Walden's Instagram photo was not explicitly political or scandalous, but it is now viewed from a different lens, after the Piers Morgan interview.

A journalist, author, and critic, Celia Walden is known for writing non-fiction thrillers. She's a senior writer for the Daily Telegraph, with previous contributions to publications like Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, and GQ.

Morgan and Walden have been married since 2010. They have one child together. Sullivan is expecting his first child with his 18-year-old girlfriend, social media influencer Lillie May.

Interest in Inside the Manosphere also gained traction, thanks to Sullivan's relentless provocations. 'It's tempting to see the extreme male influencers as adversaries, spewing hate, and in some ways they are but they are also products of a culture, growing up online in a world that's changing at dizzying speed, with narrowing opportunities, when the old entitlements of manhood have been challenged,' Theroux said in the documentary's closing monologue.