[62], In 2009, Morgan also began hosting Piers Morgan's Life Stories on ITV, with Sharon Osbourne as the subject of the first episode. [8][9] On 9 March 2021, ITV announced that Morgan decided to leave the programme with immediate effect, following public outrage in response to negative comments he made about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in the days after the US airing of the Oprah with Meghan and Harry interview. In 2015, Morgan was criticised by Ofcom for laughing as a guest repeatedly used the word 'fucking' live on air. He had amassed three championship wins by this time and perhaps, had the accident not occurred, he may have become the sporting GOAT, but this opportunity was cruelly taken away from him. [55], He co-hosted a current affairs interview show on Channel 4 with Amanda Platell, Morgan and Platell. [101], On 20 December 2011, Morgan appeared as a witness by satellite link from the United States at the Leveson Inquiry. [91] Of respondents to a Radio Times Twitter poll, 88% viewed Morgan as being not "tough enough" on Trump. Although he was not a fan of pop music, he was considered skilled at self-publicity and became the column's main writer. ), "Britain's first national newspaper for children to launch Friday", Associated Press, 4 May 2006, Other newspapers aimed at young audiences have included, Gallivan, Rory and Zekaria, Simon (September 2014). [27][28][29][30], A £16 million package of investment in the title was rolled out from January, including the dropping of "Daily" from the masthead in February,[31] which was later reversed. [102] While he said he had no reason to believe that phone hacking had occurred at the Mirror while he was in charge there, he admitted to hearing a recording of an answerphone message left by Paul McCartney for Heather Mills, but refused to "discuss where that tape was played or who made [it] – it would compromise a source. I never thought he was capable of this. Hislop also said that Morgan had attempted to quell the feud in an article in The Mail on Sunday, saying, "The war is over. [76][10], Morgan was the winner of the U.S. celebrity version of The Apprentice, in 2008. [125], A feud between Morgan and A. [132] In it, show regular Ian Hislop accused Morgan of having him followed and having his house watched. He told Hunter Davies in December 1994 that he was personally recruited by Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie to work on the newspaper's show business column "Bizarre", his first high-profile post. [40][41] However, Morgan has refused to admit that the photographs were faked, and has stated that the abuse shown in the photographs is similar to the sort of abuse which was happening in the British Army in Iraq at the time.[42]. [100], In July 2011, in a sequence of articles, political blogger Paul Staines alleged that while editor of the Daily Mirror in 2002 Morgan published a story concerning the affair of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Ulrika Jonsson while knowing it to have been obtained by phone hacking. It was shameless, as they didn't know me from Adam", he told Davies. And during the game, Ozil got into a war of words with Arsenal fan, Piers Morgan. [15] He has a brother, Jeremy, who is older than him by two years. [34] Further enquiry by the Department of Trade and Industry in 2004 cleared Morgan of any charges. [12] His father died when Morgan was 11 months old; his mother later married Glynne Pughe-Morgan,[17][18] a Welsh pub landlord who later worked in the meat distribution business, and he took his stepfather's surname. Morgan himself claimed, "Kelsey Grammer saw a photo of his ex-wife Camille in the open of our show and legged it. [1] From 2006 to 2007, he was the editorial director at First News. "I became the Friend of the Stars, a rampant egomaniac, pictured all the time with famous people – Mado… [19], Morgan began to work as a freelance at The Sun in 1988, at this point dropping his double-barrelled name. [160] Morgan announced in mid 2011 that the couple were expecting a child,[161] and on 25 November 2011, Walden gave birth to a daughter, Elise, her first child and Morgan's fourth. "[153], In September 2012, it was reported that Morgan had also banned actor Kelsey Grammer. [79] Morgan was called "ruthless, arrogant, evil and obnoxious" by Trump in the final. My friends think that's not nearly enough. The "City Slickers" columnists, Anil Bhoyrul and James Hipwell, were both found to have committed further breaches of the Code and were sacked before the inquiry concluded. On television, Morgan has hosted his own talk shows Piers Morgan's Life Stories (2009–present) and Piers Morgan Live (2011–2014), co-presented the ITV Breakfast programme Good Morning Britain (2015–2021) with Susanna Reid, and judged on the talent competition shows America's Got Talent (2006–2011) and Britain's Got Talent (2007–2010). He was eventually the overall winner, being named Celebrity Apprentice by host Donald Trump on 27 March, ahead of fellow finalist, American country music star Trace Adkins,[77][78] and having raised substantially more cash than all the other contestants combined. Probably. Morgan made known his shocking top … "Bradman came the closest to achieving perfection of any sportsman in history. I'm sure it won't stop him carrying on his 'Piers Moron' stuff"[136] (Private Eye, the fortnightly satirical magazine which Hislop edits, regularly calls Morgan 'Piers Moron'). Another participant in the discussion, Australian comedian Jim Jefferies, immediately swore at Morgan and criticised his defence of Trump. Cristiano Ronaldo: Juventus wall vs Porto blasted by Jamie Carragher. Piers Morgan, who has left his job as a presenter of ITV’s Good Morning Britain, has had a varied career in the media industry. "I became the Friend of the Stars, a rampant egomaniac, pictured all the time with famous people – Madonna, Stallone, Bowie, Paul McCartney, hundreds of them. Piers went on to host his own talk shows, Life Stories with Piers Morgan, which started in 2011 and is still running today, and Piers Morgan Live, which ran from 2011 to 2014. Morgan and his stepfather were close, and Morgan, having never really known his birth-father, calls him ‘dad.’ His parents were middle-class English, running a p… A weekly paper aimed at seven to 14-year-olds, he said at its launch that the paper was to be "Britain's first national newspaper for children". [115] On 22 January 2018, during a story about a homeless SAS veteran, who had a petition set up in his name calling on his local council to provide him with social housing, Morgan had refused to read out Herefordshire Council's statement. [134][135] In doing so, Hislop spoke of the history of animosity between himself and Morgan and said that after their exchange on Have I Got News For You (which was shown as a clip), Morgan's reporters were tasked with trying to get gossip on Hislop's private life (including phoning acquaintances of Hislop), and photographers were sent in case Hislop did anything untoward or embarrassing while in their presence. Piers' post-journalism career began when he presented a BBC television documentary The Importance of … [2][3][4] In 2008, he won the seventh season of the US Celebrity Apprentice. On 5 February, Mock appeared as a guest again to debate the dispute. The couple had three sons, Albert, Spencer, and Stanley, and separated in 2004 before divorcing in 2008. While working at the Daily Mirror, he was in charge during the period that the paper was implicated in the phone hacking scandal. "[157], Morgan married Marion Shalloe, a hospital ward sister,[1] in 1991. ... Former wonderkid but injuries ruined my football career (honestly). [71] Reid often clashed with Morgan, saying of her colleague: "You can't help but go into battle with him every morning". Initially an acting editor, he was confirmed in the summer, becoming at 29 the youngest national newspaper editor in more than half a century. Brady, 43, wowed … In response to whether he regretted his support of Trump, Morgan said "No question. At birth, Morgan was named Piers Stefan O’Meara, but Morgan’s mother remarried after his father’s death, and Morgan adopted the surname Pugh-Morgan. [155] On 26 September 2012, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported that "many say [it] was an ambush by Piers". Former Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil has hit back at stinging criticism from Piers Morgan with a fiery social media post. [35] On 7 December 2005, Bhoyrul and Hipwell were convicted of conspiracy to breach the Financial Services Act. Man Utd, Real Madrid, Rangers: Who are the most successful club in football history. He also made some interview specials, plus three more documentaries from various countries. PIERS Morgan has agreed to be in Strictly’s first all-male coupling with pro Giovanni Pernice – after dancing with judge Bruno Tonioli. Especially his frequent tweets on Arsenal football club, so boring – sample tweet: “I stand 100% behind @MesutOzil1088 – he’s a world class player and will prove it. Morgan clearly hasn’t taken into consideration the level of competition this choice faced. [16], As editor of the Daily Mirror, Morgan was forced to apologise on television for the headline (rendered in upper case) "Achtung Surrender! Piers during his time as editor of the Mirror in 2000 (Image: Daily Mirror). From Sun pop columnist to obsessive critic of Meghan Markle: The rise and fall of Piers Morgan. As part of the deal, he would continue as a judge on Britain's Got Talent for at least two more series and front a new chat show. Almost certainly his most controversial pick comes at number one in the form of Sir Donald Bradman. A supreme athlete and phenomenal competitor, who has won trophies in four different countries, Cristiano is the best real footballer to ever lace his boots.". At the annual Pride of Britain Awards broadcast on ITV, Morgan chaired a panel of prominent people who had chosen the recipients of the awards from 1999 to 2006. [43][44] This ownership was cited as one of the reasons many major newspapers boycotted the 2006 awards. Below you can see Piers Morgan's top 10 sporting GOATs in full: © 2021 Sports New Media Limited. The ITV host was left fuming with Mikel Arteta before kick-off against Leicester on Sunday with his team selection.. "Madonna Banned..." by Gil Kaufman, MTV, 28 March 2012; "Kelsey Grammer Walks Out on Piers Morgan", ABC News, 20 September 2012; "Kelsey Grammer storms off set" by Emily Gagne. [156] The Huffington Post reported that "before the interview was scheduled, it was made clear that Grammer would answer all questions, including those about [his ex-wife]. Freddie Flintoff. [33] Morgan was found by the Press Complaints Commission to have breached the Code of Conduct on financial journalism, but kept his job. [123][124], In October 2003, journalist and television personality Jeremy Clarkson emptied a glass of water over Morgan during the last flight of Concorde in response to some photographs published in the Mirror. [103][104] She said that she had never authorised Morgan, or anybody, to access or listen to her voicemails. A tense on-air argument with his co-host Alex Beresford led him to walk off the set of the show. Now, are you really telling me that journalists aren’t going to do that? "[7][108], On 6 December 2013, Morgan was interviewed, under caution, by police officers from Operation Weeting investigating phone hacking allegations at Mirror Group Newspapers during his tenure as editor. In the piece, Morgan wrote: "Don't get me wrong; he's a magnificent athlete with an extraordinary work ethic and will-to-win that places him in the very highest echelons of sporting achievement. [117][118], On 21 January 2020, Morgan was accused of racism and was hit by 1,095 Ofcom complaints[119][120] for his comments relating to a Chinese dairy advert, in which he said "He's using ching chong ching milk". ", "Piers Morgan joins Mail Online as US editor-at-large", "Amanda Platell notes Piers Morgan's two left feet", "Morgan and Platell to return on Channel 4", "Sandbanks: Piers Morgan meets Dorset's mega-rich", "Piers Morgan: Britain's Got Talent judge signs two-year deal with ITV", "Review: Piers Morgan in... Dubai (ITV) and Jamie Saves Our Bacon (Channel 4)", "The Weekend's Television: Wallander, Sun, BBC1; Piers Morgan on Las Vegas, Sat, ITV; Elvis in Vegas, Sun, BBC2", "Sharon Osbourne: 'I quit X Factor because of Danni Minogue, "Cheryl Cole to Piers Morgan: show me some love", "Piers Morgan's Life Stories; Live FA Cup Football; A Kick in the Head: The Lure of Las Vegas; Casualty", "Piers Morgan signs on as Larry King replacement", "Piers Morgan takes over in Larry King chatshow slot", "Piers Morgan Says CNN Show Has Been Canceled", "Piers Morgan and CNN Plan End to His Prime-Time Show", "Piers Morgan handed permanent role on Good Morning Britain", "Susanna Reid in 'constant battle' with Piers Morgan", "Piers Morgan calls out 'self-delusion' of love-triangle killer", "Hollyoaks storm week to feature Piers Morgan and Carol Kirkwood cameos", "Piers Morgan leaving 'Good Morning Britain' after storming off set over his attacks on Meghan", "Donald Trump on sex, money and politics", "Piers Morgan gives qualified endorsement of Donald Trump", "It's weird when your friend becomes leader of the free world", "Donald Trump Tells Piers Morgan That Muslims Are 'Absolutely Not' Reporting Terrorists", "Piers Morgan defends friendship with Donald Trump", "Piers Morgan slammed by Jim Jefferies after defending Donald Trump on talk show, "Fantastic beefs and where to find them: JK Rowling at war with Piers Morgan", "Piers Morgan Condemns Donald Trump Over Britain First Retweets", "Donald Trump tells Piers Morgan: 'I wouldn't say I'm a feminist, "Trump: 'I would have taken a tougher stand in getting out, "88% of viewers say Piers Morgan was too soft on Donald Trump in 'sycophantic' ITV 'love-in' interview", "Donald Trump tells ITV the Queen is 'an incredible woman' – and US and UK will make 'a great trade deal, "Celebrity Apprentice Winner Piers Morgan Asks to Be Trump's Chief of Staff", "ITV to broadcast Piers Morgan's Donald Trump interview in prime-time slot", "Piers Morgan: Trump 'is failing the American people' - CNN Video", "Piers Morgan slams President Trump for unfollowing him on Twitter", "HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media", "Piers Morgan says Donald Trump is 'mentally unfit' to be president in wake of Capitol riots: 'I never thought he was capable of this, "This scandal is all my fault, says salesman", "MP Mensch apologises to Piers Morgan for hacking slur", "Piers Morgan tells Leveson: Daily Mirror did not hack phones", "Leveson Inquiry: Heather Mills vows she did not play Paul McCartney messages to Piers Morgan", "Beatle's ex-wife says Piers Morgan heard hacked call", "Piers Morgan told me how to hack a phone, says Jeremy Paxman", "Video from 2003 shows Piers Morgan talking about phone hacking", "Video: New clip surfaces showing Piers Morgan talking to Charlotte Church about phone hacking", "Piers Morgan questioned by police over phone-hacking", “Trinity Mirror Admits Liability Over Phone Hacking”, “Trinity Mirror faces up to the financial fallout as phone-hacking claims mount”, “Phone-hacking: Trinity Mirror admits liability”, "Piers Morgan criticised for laughing as Good Morning Britain guest swore on air", "Ofcom clears Piers Morgan over Christianity questions on Good Morning Britain", "Piers Morgan 'empowered' after complaints for identifying as a penguin", "Piers Morgan cleared by Ofcom over 950 complaints – but Susanna Reid in trouble", "Piers Morgan hit with 1095 Ofcom complaints after 'mocking Chinese language' on GMB", "Royally milking it: race row after queen's grandson stars in Chinese ad", "Piers Morgan horrifies viewers as he mocks Chinese language on GMB", "Piers Morgan labelled 'racist' over impression", "Ofcom investigates Morgan over comments he made about Duchess of Sussex's mental health", "Piers Morgan to leave 'Good Morning Britain' after 41,000 complaints over Meghan remarks", "Morgan hits pay dirt after years of digging for trash", "Piers Morgan Demands Apology from "Disgraceful" Trans Woman Guest", "Piers Morgan just accused Ewan McGregor of being 'paedophile-loving hypocrite, "Ewan McGregor and Piers Morgan row over Good Morning Britain appearance", "Piers Morgan: 'I'm just putting opinions out there. [162], Morgan is a fan of Premier League football club Arsenal. "[152], On 28 March 2012, MTV referred to the bad relations between Morgan and Madonna, reporting that "Morgan has apparently felt slighted over the years by Madonna...he claims he was lied to by the singer's publicist. [69] Commenting on the viewing figures, Morgan said that he was "a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarizing, and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it. [80], Morgan stated he personally would not vote for Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election (though as a permanent resident of the United States, not a citizen, he is not qualified to vote). "[144] Responding to Morgan on Twitter, British comedian Gina Yashere wrote of the broadcaster's "constant racist vitriolic abuse disguised as criticism." [20] This action ran against the editors' code of conduct,[21] a misdemeanour for which the Press Complaints Commission upheld a complaint against Morgan. [105], On 28 November 2012, the Channel 4 documentary Taking on the Tabloids, fronted by actor and phone hacking victim Hugh Grant, showed footage from a 2003 interview with Morgan by the singer and phone hacking victim Charlotte Church, during which he explained to her how to avoid answerphone messages being listened to by journalists. [10][11], Morgan was born Piers Stefan O'Meara on 30 March 1965 in Surrey, the son of Vincent Eamonn O'Meara, an Irish dentist from County Offaly,[12][13] and Gabrielle Georgina Sybille (née Oliver),[14] an English woman who raised Morgan Catholic. Tedious little man. Simon Cowell outspokenly mocked Morgan's previous comment in 2003, in a Mirror headline after former U.S. President George W. Bush fell off a Segway: "You'd have to be an idiot to fall off wouldn't you, Mr President". 9. Piers Morgan has once again taken aim at the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. [5][6] Morgan has written eight books, including four volumes of memoirs. [91] Morgan interviewed Trump again in July 2018 during his official visit to the UK, this time on Air Force One during an internal flight, in a TV special entitled Piers, The President and Air Force One. He referred to the role as "editorial overlord and frontman". [92], In December 2018, Morgan wrote a letter to Trump formally applying to become White House Chief of Staff. The campaigners described the programme as having "sanctioning bullying and blatant unapologetic disrespect of women" in allowing Morgan's treatment of Hirsch. He's now set to open up about his rollercoaster career once again on Piers Morgan's Life Stories. [163] He was an outspoken critic of former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger and called for his sacking on many occasions. [26] Morgan's autobiography The Insider states that he left the News of the World for the Mirror of his own choice. [84], Nearly a fortnight later, on the American talk show Real Time with Bill Maher, Morgan said "There is no Muslim ban", as "85% of the world's Muslims are allowed in the country". Chris Eubank will become the latest star to appear on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories when the latest show airs this week.. And that's why, for me, he's the sporting GOAT.". All Rights Reserved. [167] Morgan has also stated he has previously voted for the Labour Party. Controversial broadcaster Piers Morgan has raised eyebrows with a highly questionable list of his top 10 sporting GOATs. Piers Morgan was born in Sussex, England in 1965 to an Irish dentist who died when Morgan was only two years old. Neither the reporters nor the photographers succeeded. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in November 2019, and in response, Morgan admitted "he was personally quite pleased" with having one of the highest number of complaints to any British TV show in 2019. [134][140][141], Morgan was briefly a friend of Meghan Markle before she became the Duchess of Sussex, but claims she cut him off early in her relationship with Prince Harry. Pros Controversial broadcaster Piers Morgan has raised eyebrows with a highly questionable list of his top 10 sporting GOATs. [103] Mills told the inquiry that Morgan, "a man that has written nothing but awful things about me for years", would have relished telling the inquiry if she had played a personal voicemail message to him. [50][51][52], In 2012, following the revelation of Jimmy Savile's sexual abuse against children, Morgan said to have "never met" Savile in his lifetime; however, it was pointed out that in a 2009 piece by Morgan in The Mail on Sunday's Night & Day magazine he wrote that "As I left, Jimmy Savile came up to me. "[154] TVGuide reported, "All plans were still a go for the segment until Grammer actually got in the hot seat and saw the footage the producers had planned to peg to the segment, including a picture of his ex-wife". “Subscribe to Piers Morgan,” tweeted Pepe-toting @FrameGames to 16,000 followers, “yes, he was a limey bastard over guns in 2013, but he’s a based AF warrior for Trump.” [158][159] In June 2010, he married his second wife, journalist Celia Walden, daughter of the former Conservative MP George Walden. [143] Ten days later, he said: "Only surprised it took her so long to get Harry to ditch his family, the monarchy, the military and his country. Morgan responded that he had "never been treated in such a disgraceful manner" by a guest. A former international cricketer with England, Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff now works in television and radio having retired in 2015. "For me, Brady's not even the greatest NFL star of all time – that accolade goes to Joe Montana. [60], In February 2009, he began a three-part series, Piers Morgan On..., which saw him visit Dubai, Monte Carlo and Hollywood. [16][37] In the wake of the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, Morgan was sacked as editor of the Daily Mirror "with immediate effect" on 14 May 2004, after refusing to apologise to Sly Bailey, then head of Trinity Mirror, for authorising the newspaper's publication of photographs which had been shown to be false. It’s probably not wise, if you’re a columnist, to make things too personal. [112] The admissions by Trinity Mirror came whilst the London Metropolitan Police investigation into the phone hacking allegations was ongoing. [1] He voted for the Kensington Conservative candidate in the 2019 UK general election,[166] after previously voting for the Animal Welfare Party. Good Morning Britain Piers Morgan's son Spencer Morgan shared his thoughts on the recent events that took place on GMB and suggested that Alex Beresford had 'taken an easy chance to boost his career' Ex-pastor leaves church to promote Miss BumBum 2021 with sexy photoshoot [84] He refused to do so, despite stating that he disagreed with him on many issues relating to gun control, climate change, abortion, and the "Muslim travel ban", saying that he found the principle of the ban understandable, but disagreed with "the way [Trump] has gone about it". Morgan appeared as a celebrity contestant on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice in 2007, to raise money for the BBC charity telethon Comic Relief. Although Ofcom did not take action as his co-presenter Susanna Reid quickly apologised, the watchdog expressed concern at his behaviour. In October 2018, Morgan appeared as a cameo on Hollyoaks. [128], Morgan strongly objected to the Women's March on Washington on 21 January 2017, the day after Trump's inauguration, describing protesters as "rabid feminists" and the multiple protests as being "vacuous". A. Gill began when Morgan described Gill’s partner Nicola Formby as a sex kitten on whom the mists of time had taken their toll[126] and claimed she had shown him "porn shots" of herself. It's my job, Have I Got News for You Episode Guide > Season 11, Episode 6, "Piers Morgan: 'I want to be at the centre of the big stuff, "Piers Morgan: The man with stars in his eyes", "Piers Morgan: 'Do I genuinely feel a pathological hatred of vegan sausage rolls? Piers Morgan issued a grovelling Arsenal apology live on Good Morning Britain, admitting he should “stay off Twitter”.. 11 Years in the Life of Piers Morgan", "Earl Spencer loses privacy battle to Europe", "The New Statesman Profile – Piers Morgan", "Piers Morgan: The man with no moral compass who found his destiny in a steadfast opposition to war", "Oh, Sorry: Tabloids Lose the Soccer War", "Mirror editor saw his shares soar after paper tipped company", "Columnist rewrites his 'Mirror' tips story over share tips", "Mirror editor 'bought £67,000 of shares before they were tipped, "I should have been fired years ago, to be honest", "Piers Morgan on phone-hacking, Iraq photos", "Piers Morgan clinches Press Gazette deal", "Piers Morgan turns proprietor with purchase of Press Gazette", "Big titles boycott Morgans organ press awards", "Piers Morgan launches children's newspaper", "Reporter Who Called Bush 'Idiot' for Segway Fall Cracks Ribs in Fall from Contraption", "Morgan had broken ribs in 'Talent' final", "Piers Morgan, Feather Duster: CNN must be having second thoughts", "Piers Morgan: did he meet Jimmy Savile or didn't he? [93], During Trump's state visit to the United Kingdom in June 2019, Morgan once again interviewed Trump, this time at the Churchill War Rooms. He has been a regular critic of the couple since then, alleging they are hypocrites and claiming the Duchess is a social climber. The Brazilian tragically passed away in the middle of his career after an on-track collision. "Tom Brady the greatest athlete ever? [85] After the novelist J. K. Rowling tweeted "Yes, watching Piers Morgan being told to fuck off on live TV is *exactly* as satisfying as I'd always imagined", the two began an exchange of words on the social media site. Have I taken things a bit too far? After the interview aired, Mock sent a series of tweets criticising Morgan for describing Mock as being "formerly a man". Piers Morgan. I've always loved Jimmy Savile. [59], In 2008, Morgan signed a two-year "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV in May, reportedly worth £2 million per year. He presented a three-part television documentary series for the BBC titled The Importance of Being Famous (2003), about fame and the manner in which celebrities are covered by modern media. [65], On 8 September 2010, CNN announced that Morgan would replace Larry King in the network's evening line-up with his show, Piers Morgan Live, beginning on 17 January 2011. Piers Morgan attempted to give his wife, Celia, a trendy new haircut in lockdown Credit: Instagram And that’s exactly what Piers Morgan spent his evening doing, as he debuted a new career … [16] After nine months at Lloyd's of London, Morgan studied journalism at Harlow College,[1] joining the Surrey and South London Newspaper Group in 1985.