Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin canceled a primetime TV appearance at the last minute Monday night, shying away from the spotlight on a day he was under fire for controversial comments he made about rape.

Akin was scheduled to be on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight.” A studio was booked and a chair was set.

But shortly before he was to appear, Akin canceled. He was editing a new ad, an activity that forced him to bow out, two people with ties to his campaign said.

“Congressman, you have an open invitation to join me in that chair whenever you feel up to it,” said Morgan.

Pressure from the mainstream Republican Party mounted on the Missouri representative throughout the day to drop his bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in November because of his comments about “legitimate rape” and opposing abortion in rape cases.

McCaskill also was booked to be a guest on “Piers Morgan Tonight.” She canceled earlier in the day.