The comments by the former CNN and Good Morning Britain host followed a series of tweets by Manuel who called for a stop for the immediate interviews of athletes straight after they had not met expectations.

Manuel was not calling for an end to the interviews—but said that the media needed to take into consideration that a competitor they are speaking to might still be trying to put into context a performance that may have only finished minutes earlier.

“Please stop interviewing athletes right after a disappointing performance before they have any time to process anything,” she tweeted on Friday.

“Trust me. They gave it their all. Nothing else people need to know at that time.

“The amount of people who say we’re just sore losers or that we are ‘obligated’ to do the interviews is problematic.”

She wrote in another tweet: “Just give us a moment. The story can wait.

“Empathy and kindness is the most important thing we need in that moment.”

At the Rio Olympics in 2016, Manuel won two gold and two silver medals but fared less well in Tokyo where she failed to reach the 50-meter freestyle final, although she did win a bronze medal as part of the U.S. 4×100-meter freestyle relay team.

“By no means is this an attack on the media,” she said in another tweet. “Just offering solutions that I believe many athletes feel need to be made.”

Alongside sharing a Daily Mail article of Manuel’s plea, Morgan tweeted on Saturday, “The media should stop writing about any of these ridiculous whiners.

“That would soon stop this self-indulgent nonsense from prima donnas who just can’t handle being criticised for bad performance.”

Newsweek has contacted Manuel for comment.

Manuel’s comments echo those by Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka who initially said she would not do media interviews at the French Open due to the toll it takes on her mental health.

Morgan had caused controversy when he criticized Osaka’s decision and he also faced a backlash last month for a tweet believed to be about gymnast Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the Olympics gymnastics team final due to a mental health issue.

“Are ‘mental health issues’ now the go-to excuse for any poor performance in elite sport? What a joke,” Morgan tweeted last month.

He added: “Just admit you did badly, made mistakes, and will strive to do better next time.”