TV personalities often go to great lengths to stay in the spotlight, but one anchor on the British talk show “This Morning” took it a step further when he chose to consume squirrel live on air. Phillip Schofield hoped that by indulging in the unusual meal, he could boost his career and garner international attention. To some extent, his plan succeeded, as his on-air squirrel consumption went viral.
During the show, Phillip Schofield did not simply eat raw squirrel; the incident occurred within a segment featuring renowned chef Phil Vickery. The chef prepared several dishes incorporating small rodents, such as squirrel risotto and buttermilk squirrel. He presented the anchor with a controversial decision: to eat the squirrel-based dishes on live TV. Schofield, eager to increase ratings and gain exposure, did not hesitate to accept the challenge, even though the reasoning behind his decision was peculiar.
As Schofield eagerly consumed the squirrel dishes, his co-anchor, Holly Willoughby, took a firm stance against partaking in the unusual meal. She declined the chef’s offerings and admitted that the entire experience made her feel “gippy,” a British term describing feelings of nausea.
Following Schofield’s on-air squirrel consumption, “This Morning” received a flood of comments from viewers expressing a range of opinions. Some applauded his adventurous palate, while others criticized the act as disgusting. One viewer called it “shameful,” and another labeled it “appalling.”
Some even threatened to switch to the BBC to avoid watching a highly paid news anchor eat squirrels on television. As a result, the BBC likely experienced a temporary surge in viewership that day.
Several viewers deemed the act “cruel” and “inhumane,” while others seemed unfazed by the consumption of squirrel meat, arguing that there were often too many squirrels running around outside anyway. One person tweeted, “If you aren’t vegetarian, you can’t really get squeamish over eating squirrel.”
WATCH the video below for more details:
Since that unforgettable day, Schofield has remained relatively quiet about his experience eating squirrel meat. It is uncertain whether the dishes made him feel squeamish or if they suited his tastes. However, there have been reports, likely made in jest, that he has since developed an affinity for acorns.
Source: AWM
Squirrel is good but NEVER eat it raw they can carry rabies. So long as the squirrel was in season why would they be in trouble??? Why would people get upset about the eating of any animal legal to be a food if it was done legally?? Yes some might be upset but if it was legal and no laws were broken why would they be in trouble?? We have seasons for squirrel, rabbit and other animals to control their population this is to prevent them from becoming to Populous for both their food supply and to prevent illnesses for wiping them out. It also keeps them from becoming a nuisance or a hazard to humans. I live in the country and squirrels are just about everywhere and it is not a big deal to hear of people eating them I found squirrel to be very tasty if fixed properly. This goes for many other small animals people may think little of eating.