Piers Morgan

At 59 years old, Piers Morgan has this physical status:

Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (born 30 March 1965) is an English broadcaster, journalist, blogger, and television presenter.

He is currently a co-anchor of the ITV Breakfast show Good Morning Britain, which airs from Monday to Wednesday each week. Morgan began his career in Fleet Street as a writer and editor for several tabloid newspapers, including The Sun, News of the World, and the Daily Mirror.

Rupert Murdoch, age 29, was appointed editor of the News of the World in 1994, making him the youngest editor of a British national newspaper in more than a half-century.

Following King's retirement, he hosted Piers Morgan Live on CNN from 2011 to 2014, replacing Larry King Live in the Timeslot.

He was a judge on America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent.

Morgan won the seventh season of the US Celebrity Apprentice in 2008.

Piers Morgan has been a contributor to Good Morning Britain and Life Stories since 2009 in the United Kingdom, as well as Good Morning Britain.

Morgan has published eight books, four of which were memoirs. He was in charge of the newspaper during the time when it was implicated in the phone hacking scandal when he was at work at Daily Mirror.

Morgan denied ever hacking a phone or "to my knowledge" had ever published any news derived from a phone hacker's hacking of a cellphone in 2011.

In 2012, Morgan was "fully unpersuaded" by Leveson's report, "that he was aware that it was being published as a whole, and that he was unconcerned by what was criminal conduct that he was willing to laugh about it."

Early life and education

Morgan was born Piers Stefan O'Meara, the son of Vincent Eamonn O'Meara, an Irish dentist from County Offaly, and Gabrielle Georgina Sybille (née Oliver), an English woman who raised Morgan Catholic. He has a brother named Jeremy, who is older than him by two years. The family moved to Newick, East Sussex, a few months after his birth. Morgan's father died when he was 11 months old, and his mother later married Glynne Pughe-Morgan, a Welsh pub landlord who later worked in the meat distribution industry, and took his stepfather's surname. He attended Cumnor House preparatory School between the ages of seven and 13, then Chailey School, a comprehensive secondary school, and Priory School, Lewes, in Lewes, England, where he went on to Priory School, Lewes, for sixth form. Morgan studied journalism at Harlow College before joining the Surrey and South London Newspaper Group in 1985.

Personal life

In 1991, Morgan married Marion Shalloe, a hospital ward sister. The couple had three sons and separated in 2004 before divorce in 2008. In June 2010, Celia Walden, the daughter of former Conservative MP George Walden, married his second wife, journalist Celia Walden. Walden gave birth to a daughter on November 25, her first child and Morgan's fourth.

Morgan's main residence is in Kensington, London. He divides his time between a base in Los Angeles, California, and a holiday home in Newick, East Sussex.

Morgan is a fan of Arsenal's Premier League football team. He was an outspoken critic of former Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger and called for his dismissal on several occasions. Former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson referred to Morgan as a "very pompous individual" in his defense of Wenger in 2015. Ramsey refused to shake his hand when Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey met Morgan on April 26, 2015, despite the criticism he received from Morgan during the 2012-2013 season. Morgan has responded by naming Ramsey 'whatshisname.'

Morgan said in a 1994 interview that he was "still a Tory" but expressed admiration for the new Labour Party leader Tony Blair, who "talks well and makes sense." In the 2019 UK general election, he voted for the Kensington Conservative candidate, having previously voted for the Animal Welfare Party. Morgan has also stated that he has previously voted for Labour Party.

Despite being fully vaccinated, Morgan said he had developed COVID-19 after the Euro 2020 final on July 24th. He said he was feeling ill, with violent coughing, chills, and sneezing fits, left him ill and worried about what might come next.

Morgan still identifies as a Catholic due to his mother's influence and believes in an afterlife, but not "go to Confession" because "it would take [him] too long."

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Press career

Morgan began working as a freelance at The Sun in 1988, at that time he began lowering his double-barrelled name. He told Hunter Davies in December 1994 that he was personally recruited by Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie to serve on the newspaper's show business column "Bizarre," his first high-profile position. Despite the fact that he was not a fan of pop music, he was considered a natural performer and became the column's top writer. "I became the Friend of the Stars, a ferocious egomaniac who was photographed all the time with famous celebrities, including Madonna, Stallone, Bowie, and hundreds of others." They didn't know me from Adam, which was shameless," he told Davies.

After being appointed to the position by Rupert Murdoch in January 1994, he became editor of the News of the World in January 1994. He began as an acting editor in the summer and became the youngest national newspaper editor in over half a century. The newspaper pioneered a line of scoops for which Morgan praised a highly effective newsdesk and publicist Max Clifford.

Morgan retired this column in 1995 shortly after releasing photos of Catherine Lockwood, then wife of Charles Earl Spencer, and his exiled mother, Morgan left an addiction clinic in Surrey. This action went against the editors' code of conduct, a misdemeanour for which the Press Complaints Commission upheld a complaint against Morgan. Murdoch was reported as having said that "the boy went too far" and publicly distanced himself from the story. Murdoch is said to have apologised to Morgan in private for his fear of a privacy law lawsuit if he hadn't criticised one of his employees.

The incident was reported to have contributed to Morgan's decision to leave for the Daily Mirror editorship. Morgan's autobiography The Insider claims that he left the News of the World for the Mirror of his own choice. Former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's most of her tenure as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's admiral for the bulk of her term, making the appointment surprising, considering that the Mirror is a Labour-supporting newspaper.

Morgan apologized on television for the headline (rendered in the upper case) "Achtung Surrender!" says the editor of the Daily Mirror. On the 25th of June 1996, Fritz Ze Euro Championship Is Over" took place, a day before England defeated Germany in a semi-final of the Euro 96 football championships. The headline was followed by an open letter from Morgan parodying Neville Chamberlain's declaration of war on Germany in 1939. "It was intended as a joke," the author said, but anyone who was offended by it must have taken it seriously, and to those who have said sorry." At Wembley Stadium in London, Germany won the match and later the championship.

Starting in January, a £16 million package of investment in the title was rolled out, with the demise of "Daily" from the masthead in February, which was later reversed. In August 1999, Roy Greenslade wrote that Morgan's editorship "has made a huge difference: his energy, perseverance, and attention have been a major plus."

Morgan was the subject of an investigation in 2000 after Suzy Jagger outlined that he acquired £20,000 worth of shares in Viglen shortly before the Mirror's "City Slickers" column praised it as a good buy. Morgan was found by the Press Complaints Commission to have violated the Code of Conduct on financial journalism, but he retained his employment. Anil Bhoyrul and James Hipwell, two columnists for "City Slickers," were found to have further broken the Rules and were fired before the investigation concluded. Morgan was not charged with any charges in 2004 by the Department of Trade and Industry, which had a further probe into the situation. Bhoyrul and Hipwell were found guilty of conspiracy to breach the Financial Services Act on December 7, 2005. Morgan bought £67,000 worth of Viglen shares, emptying his bank account and putting money into his (first) wife's name as well as the trial.

In 2002, the Mirror tried to enter the mid-market, rejecting the more trivial news of show-business and gossip, and naming Christopher Hitchens as a columnist, but revenues fell. During the last flight of Concorde in October 2003, journalist and television actor Jeremy Clarkson emptied a glass of water over Morgan. Some images were published in the Mirror. Clarkson blasted Morgan three times during another argument in March 2004 at the British Press Awards. The Law Lords in Campbell vs. MGN Ltd in May 2004 found in favour of model Naomi Campbell on privacy grounds after the Mirror had published a snapshot of her entering a Narcotics Anonymous clinic. Morgan was skeptical of the decision, saying it was "a good day for lying, drug-abusing prima donnas who want to have their cake with the media and the right to freely guzzle with Cristal champagne."

Morgan was dismissed immediately as the editor of the Daily Mirror "with immediate effect" after refusing to apologise to Sly Bailey, who then became the newspaper's chief photographer, in the aftermath of the Abu Ghraib torture controversy. The photographs were reportedly to depict Iraqi prisoners being assaulted by British Army troops from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment's Lancashire Regiment. The photographs were discovered within days to be crude fakes. The photographs were unquestionably taken in North-West England, according to official British sources. The Mirror explained that it had fallen victim to a "calculated and nefarious hoax" and apologized for the publication of the images under the headline "SORRY. WE WERE HOAXED." Morgan, on the other hand, refused to admit that the photographs were faked and claimed that the violence depicted in the photographs is similar to the kind of violence that was happening in Iraq at the time.

In a deal worth £1 million, Matthew Freud purchased Press Gazette, a media trade magazine, together with its "cash cow" the British Press Awards in May 2005. This ownership was cited as one of the reasons why several major newspapers boycotted the 2006 awards. About the end of 2006, Press Gazette's administrative receivership was transferred to a trade buyer.

On May 4, Morgan introduced First News. At its unveiling, he said that the paper would be "Britain's first national newspaper for children." Morgan was the editor of First News, and he was responsible for bringing in celebrity involvement. He referred to the position as a "editorial overlord and frontman."

Morgan was caught on camera in 2007 falling off a Segway and breaking three ribs. After former President George W. Bush's falling off a Segway in 2003, Simon Cowell mocked Morgan's previous remark: "You'd have to be an idiot to fall off, Mr President."

Morgan said in 2012, he had "never met" Savile in his lifetime, referring to a 2009 article in The Mail on Sunday's Night & Day magazine that said, "As I left, Jimmy Savile came up to me." 'Your TV shows are BRILLIANT,' he said. ... Jimmy Savile has always loved him."

Morgan became the first editor-at-large of the MailOnline website's US operation in September 2014 and wrote several columns a week.

Television career

Before leaving the Daily Mirror, Morgan's career morphed into television presenting. The Importance of Being Famous (2003), a three-part television documentary series for the BBC, discussed fame and the manner in which celebrities are covered by modern media. Morgan chaired a panel of influential individuals who had selected the recipients of the awards from 1999 to 2006.

Amanda Platell, Morgan, and Platell co-hosted a current affairs interview show on Channel 4 with Amanda Platell, Morgan and Platell. Morgan and Platell were brought together due to their opposing political views; Platell interrogated guests from the right wing, Morgan from the left wing; The show was cancelled after three series, allegedly due to poor viewing figures, but Channel 4's chairman, Luke Johnson, did not like the program.

Morgan appeared on television show America's Got Talent alongside Brandy Norwood and David Hasselhoff. Morgan was chosen by Simon Cowell as a replacement for himself because of the American Idol contract's conditions. Morgan appeared on Comic Relief in 2007 as a celebrity contestant on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice have a web page. Morgan was selected by Sir Alan Sugar as the contestant to be dismissed after his team lost.

Morgan appeared as a judge on America's Got Talent's second season and then as a judge on ITV with Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell in 2007.

I'm Famous on BBC One. You Can't Fire Me, I'm Famous. In January 2008, he hosted Piers Morgan on Sandbanks, a three-part documentary about Sandbanks for ITV.

Morgan signed a two-year "golden handcuffs" contract with ITV in May, reportedly worth £2 million per year. As part of the arrangement, he will continue as a judge on Britain's Got Talent for at least two more seasons and front a new chat show. In addition, he made several specialties for interviewers, as well as three more documentaries from various nations. Morgan's golden handcuffs contract was the first deal for ITV's new director of television, Peter Fincham.

Piers Morgan On..., a three-part series that saw him visit Dubai, Monte Carlo, and Hollywood in February 2009. Morgan visited Las Vegas in one episode in 2010, and the show was renewed for a second season in 2010.

Morgan also began hosting Piers Morgan's Life Stories on ITV in 2009, with Sharon Osbourne as the subject of the first episode. Cheryl and then Prime Minister Gordon Brown were among the guests on the programme.

Morgan replaced Larry King in CNN's evening line-up with his program, Piers Morgan Live. The show was cancelled in February 2014 and ended its run in March 2014. Morgan said he was "a British guy debating American cultural topics, including guns, which has been highly polarizing, and there is no doubt that there are some people in the audience who are sick of me banging on about it."

Morgan co-hosted five episodes of Good Morning Britain on ITV from 13 to 17, 2015, and became a regular co-host in November 2015, co-starring Susanna Reid and Charlotte Hawkins. He often disagreed with Reid, who said of her sister: "You can't help but go into combat with him every morning." Following a backlash over his remarks about Oprah with Meghan and Harry, which culminated in a tense on-air debate with Alex Beresford, Morgan retired the series in March 2021.

Morgan interviewed female murderers on the television show Killer Women with Piers Morgan from 2016 to 2017. On ITV, he also spoke to Serial Killer with Piers Morgan as part of the 2017 Crime & Punishment season. Morgan appeared on Hollyoaks in October 2018.

In 2008, Morgan was the winner of The Apprentice's U.S. celebrity version. He was eventually the overall champion, after being branded Celebrity Apprentice by host Donald Trump on March 27, ahead of fellow American country music star Trace Adkins, who had raised more cash than the other contestants combined. By Trump, Morgan was branded "ruthless, arrogant, vil, and obnoxious."

Morgan said he would not vote for Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election, because he is a permanent resident of the United States, not a citizen, and is therefore not eligible to vote). Trump predicted his as President of the United States and referred to himself as a close friend. In March 2016, Morgan interviewed Trump on Good Morning Britain.

Morgan appeared on the Loose Women panel on ITV in late January 2017, and was prompted to condemn Trump. Despite admitting to disagree with him on certain topics pertaining to gun control, climate change, abortion, and the "Muslim travel ban," he said he understood the concept but disagreed with "the way [Trump] has gone about it."

Morgan said "There is no Muslim ban" in the country, even though it was nearly a fortnight ago on the American talk show Real Time with Bill Maher, as "85% of the world's Muslims are allowed in the region." Jim Jefferies, an Australian comedian, swore at Morgan and slammed him on Trump's defense. The two began a conversation on social media after J. K. Rowling tweeted, "Yes, watching Piers Morgan being told to fuck off on live TV is *exactly* as satisfying as I'd never imagined."

In late November 2017, Morgan attacked Trump after Trump recalled Jayda Fransen, deputy head of the small far-right nationalist party Britain First, who fled in late November 2017. "What the hell are you doing retweeting a series of unverified videos by Britain First, a group of disgustingly racist far-right fundamentalists," Trump tweeted. Please help us avoid this madness and undo your retweets.

Morgan interviewed President Trump in January 2018. Many viewers viewed the Piers Morgan interview for ITV as both "sycophantic" and a "love-in" for Trump. 88% of respondents to a Radio Times Twitter poll said Morgan is not "strong enough" on Trump. During his official visit to the United Kingdom in July 2018, Morgan interviewed Trump again, this time on Air Force One during an internal flight.

Morgan sent a letter to Trump in December 2018, inviting him to serve as the White House Chief of Staff.

Morgan interviewed Trump once more during his state visit to the United Kingdom in June 2019, this time at the Churchill War Rooms.

Morgan wrote a highly critical column about Trump's handling of the crisis in his column for MailOnline in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Morgan criticized Trump's suggestion that we investigate "ingest" disinfectant as a potential alternative, describing it as "batshit crazy." Trump unfollowed Morgan on Twitter in reaction to the criticism.

Morgan said that Trump was "mentally inept" to serve as president after the 2021 riots in the United States Capitol. He said the pandemic and Trump's election loss that followed had "sent him nuts." Morgan said, "No prob." When asked whether he regretted his support for Trump, he said no. "I had no idea he was capable of doing this."

News UK revealed on September 16th, 2021, that it would debut in 2022, with Morgan being the first name signed up. Piers Morgan Uncensored Weeknights, April 25th, 2022, Morgan's first and second episodes featured a new interview with Donald Trump. Morgan's show's average viewers dropped by 80% within a week of the first broadcast, from 316,800 to 61,700 viewers.

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