Earlier this month, both presenters were nominated for Best TV Interview at the National Television Awards, but it was The Graham Norton Show that ended up triumphing over Piers Morgan Uncensored.
During a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, the Irish host was asked during a Q&A about beating Piers “especially after he said on the red carpet that there was ‘no competition’” between them.
“I didn’t know that!” Graham said of his fellow nominee’s comment. “I just Zoomed in to accept the award, but it was worth Zooming in to see the expression on Piers Morgan’s face.”
Later in the interview, Graham was asked if he’d ever had Piers on his show, to which he sarcastically responded: “No, funnily enough! And I’ve never been on his! And we’re good.”
However, the five-time Bafta winner was more complimentary about one of his former guests, chart-topping singer Taylor Swift, who he said he “loves”.
“I don’t know how she can be as normal as she is, she seems so regular,” Graham claimed.
After being asked for his take on the British public’s views on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Graham went on to share an anecdote about meeting the Duke of Sussex while on a night out with the late Carrie Fisher.
After the story was picked up by multiple news outlets on both sides of the Atlantic, Piers tweeted of Alan: “What a pathetic, disingenuous, disloyal, attention-seeking little twerp.”
However, Alan brushed off the criticism during an appearance on SiriusXM Progress radio this week, saying that “if you’re pissing off Piers Morgan, you’re on the right track”.
He added: “I think that lump of ignorance, if I’m pissing him off, I’m doing the right thing.”
Naturally, after hearing what Alan had to say about him, Piers had a response.
Tweeting a clip of the radio interview, Piers said: “Ditto, Mr Cumming. Your explanation of your OBE return is so comically disingenuous.
Advertisement
“You did it for a bit of wokie social media love and (much-needed!) press attention – just admit it.”
🤣🤣Ditto, Mr Cumming. Your explanation of your OBE return is so comically disingenuous. You did it for a bit of wokie social media love and (much-needed!) press attention – just admit it. https://t.co/niBp695OjS
In an interview with People magazine earlier this week, Alan said he “didn’t ever expect so much attention about it”.
“It’s been really positive,” he continued. “People really understood why it’s complicated, it’s complex, it’s not a black or white thing.
“I tried to say that in my statement, and people have really responded to that. I think times are changing and things change, and you change how you feel about something.”
Advertisement
In his original post, Alan said he had “reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place” upon returning the honour.
He added: “The Queen’s death and the ensuing conversations about the role of monarchy and especially the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples across the world really opened my eyes.
“Also, thankfully, times and laws in the US have changed, and the great good the award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause back in 2009 is now less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire (OBE stands for Officer of the British Empire).”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Manchester United – with immediate effect – sent social media into overdrive as the football superstar threatened to overshadow even the World Cup.
United issued a statement on Tuesday evening announcing they had reached a mutual agreement with the player to terminate his contract.
Advertisement
The development comes a week after Ronaldo unsettled the club in an outspoken TV interview with Piers Morgan, which exacerbated a relationship that was already strained during the early part of the season.
Among his comments in the programme were claims that he felt “betrayed” by United and that he had no respect for new manager Erik Ten Hag.
He also said that he felt people at the club were trying to force him out and that United showed a lack of empathy when his daughter was in hospital ill.
There were also wider complaints about the standard of facilities at the club as well as criticism of the owners.
Advertisement
When United responded by appointing lawyers to consider potential action for alleged breach of contract, it became clear a parting of the ways was likely.
Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect.
The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford.#MUFC
Ronaldo, 37, issued his own statement which read: “Following conversations with Manchester United we have mutually agreed to end our contract early.
“I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge.
“I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future.”
The development means Ronaldo is now free to negotiate with other clubs.
Morgan was inevitably one of the first to react …
… cheekily suggesting a move to his beloved Arsenal was now on the cards.
Advertisement
Football journalists offered brief post-mortems
Inevitable Ronaldo left #MUFC after that interview. Sad, avoidable, messy end that tarnishes his legacy. Should have left in summer when ETH, who wants energy/pressing, arrived. But let’s not forget what a great player he was. Interesting to see how many elite clubs chase him now
Ronaldo had to go after voicing accusations and no respect for Ten Hag. #mufc didn’t betray him. He betrayed them. A shame it ended the way it did but that’s on Ronaldo. Fans will still fondly remember seven great seasons. Best United player many will have seen in their lifetime.
On Friday’s episode of the BBC’s news and politics comedy panel show, guest presenter Steph referred to his TalkTV show Piers Morgan Uncensored as “Piers Morgan Unwatched”.
“What’s she been up to this week?,” Steph asked panellists Ian Hislop and Paul Merton.
Paul replied: “She took over Piers Morgan’s TV show. He’s been on holiday, and it didn’t go well.”
Steph then sarcastically told the audience: “Nadine Dorries has been sitting in on Piers Morgan’s ‘smash-hit’ TalkTV show, Piers Morgan: Unwatched!”
On Saturday, Piers fired back at Steph on Twitter, sharing a screenshot of a two-year-old story in the Sun that claimed Steph’s own Channel 4 show registered zero viewers when it first launched.
“Hear you were gobbing off about my @PiersUncensored ratings on #HIGFY last night @StephLunch – you sure you’re the best person to do that?” he tweeted.
Steph has yet to respond.
Despite it taking Dorries just 12 seconds to mess up during her presenting of Piers’ TalkTV show, she was a ratings hit.
The MP reportedly pulled in 26,000 viewers, while Piers averages 14,000-19,000 viewers.
TalkTV’s Piers Morgan and BBC presenter Huw Edwards are among the latest UK politicians and journalists to be banned from Russia.
The Russian foreign ministry issued a list of 39 newly sanctioned individuals it said are no longer allowed to enter the Russian Federation.
Advertisement
It said the action was in response to UK sanctions issued against Russian ministers, officials and members of influential families linked to the Kremlin following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian foreign ministry claimed those individuals sanctioned have contributed to “London’s hostile course aimed at the demonisation of our country and its international isolation”.
Other than Morgan and Edwards, journalists including ITV’s Robert Peston and head of Sky News, John Ryley, are also listed alongside reporters at various outlets.
Morgan, writing on Twitter, said: “It wasn’t on my immediate vacation to-do list.”
Edwards tweeted: “Huw’ve been banned! I made the Kremlin cut (39/39).”
Advertisement
Former prime minister David Cameron is the first name on the list, followed by Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, a former Nato secretary-general, while Labour leader Keir Starmer and shadow cabinet ministers Lisa Nandy, David Lammy and Nick Thomas-Symonds also feature.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, Scottish government economy secretary Kate Forbes and transport minister Wendy Morton, previously in the foreign office, are also among those included.
The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement: “As has been noted more than once, the pernicious actions of the UK in planting Russophobia, spreading false information about our country and supporting the Kyiv neo-Nazi regime will receive an adequate and decisive response from the Russian side.
“The choice in favour of confrontation is a conscious decision of the British political establishment, which bears all responsibility for the consequences.”
The statement also said it will continue work to expand the list.
Earlier this year, Russia said it was taking action against 287 MPs in retaliation for sanctions against Russian politicians.
Advertisement
But the list included several former MPs.
Prime minister Boris Johnson said in April that MPs should regard their inclusion on the list as a “badge of honour”.
Piers Morgan has dismissed claims that a guest on his supposedly “Uncensored” show was briefed by producers on what not to say on air.
Earlier this week, the divisive host was joined by comedian and political activist Kate Smurthwaite for a discussion about one of Piers’ favourite topics (yes, that would be the Duchess of Sussex).
Advertisement
However, after her segment on Piers Morgan Uncensored aired, Kate said that her appearance on the show wasn’t quite as uncensored as its name suggested.
She tweeted on Thursday night: “Today in #MyLifeIsWeird I’m sat in the green room for Piers Morgan UNCENSORED (the producer has just told me at least three things NOT to say on air LOL #ActuallyCensored) when the other guest arrives who will be on for the second half of the show. It’s JOAN COLLINS…”
Advertisement
Today in #MyLifeIsWeird I’m sat in the green room for Piers Morgan UNCENSORED (the producer has just told me at least three things NOT to say on air LOL #ActuallyCensored) when the other guest arrives who will be on for the second half of the show. It’s JOAN COLLINS… pic.twitter.com/5917hSEJjI
Piers soon contested this version of events, tweeting back 45 minutes later: “I just checked and nobody tried to censor you – we don’t censor guests, that’s the point of the show.”
“Yes I was,” Kate then responded. “Great, have me on again and I’ll say all the things I was told not to say.”
Advertisement
Yes I was. Great have me on again and I’ll say all the things I was told not to say.
In a follow-up column in The Mirror, Kate claimed: “The producer pencilled the slot into my diary last week and rang in the morning to let me know what topics would be discussed and ask what my views were. Standard procedure.
“After their morning meeting, I had a confirmation call too. They were looking forward to having me on. The only thing was… they’d like me not to mention a couple of the things I had said in our earlier conversation. A remarkable request for a show that is literally called ‘uncensored’.”
She continued: “They didn’t want me to get ‘too personal’ with Morgan. They didn’t want me criticising or seeking to explain his ‘vindictive obsession’ with [Meghan Markle].
“The main thing they didn’t want me to say was: ‘You know that no matter how many hours you spend slagging her off, she’s still not going to shag you?’. True. Funny. Insightful. What’s not to love?”
Advertisement
Kate Smurthwaite on stage
Andrew Aitchison via Getty Images
Referring to Piers’ tweet, Kate added: “If, as he has subsequently claimed on Twitter, there was no effort to censor me, his producers would not have warned me beforehand to not get ‘too personal’ with Piers when discussing the topic of Meghan.
“I’d like to discuss his childish obsession with Markle. And then whilst I’m about it his nasty attitude towards some other celebrities and the way that the right wing media will cry censorship when it suits them and participate in the exact same thing when it doesn’t. I’ve got plenty to say.”
Amid reports of struggling ratings at Talk TV, Piers previously tweeted: “Linear TV [is] increasingly irrelevant [compared] to total eyeball potential for a global show like this, especially with younger viewers who don’t really watch TV any more.”
Piers, who used to sit on the judging panel of the ITV talent show from 2007 until 2010, didn’t hold back following the latest episode.
Advertisement
The TalkTV presenter has previously described David as a “treacherous piece of work” and “a snivelling today”, and he couldn’t resist having yet another dig at the former Little Britain star on Saturday night.
“Love the judging panel on @BGT – apart from David Walliams,” he wrote.
Advertisement
“All he does is drip & drool unctuously sycophantic drivel, and he’s soooooo creepy.”
Love the judging panel on @BGT – apart from David Walliams. All he does is drip & drool unctuously sycophantic drivel, and he’s soooooo creepy. 🙈
Sharing a screen grab of the tweet liked by David and actress Amanda Abbington, Piers wrote: “Amusing that @davidwalliams regularly ‘likes’ the nastiest tweets about me, yet is such a snivelling toady to my face. It’s not my fault @BGT ratings were so much higher when I was in your chair Dave!”
Although David never responded, his former Little Britain co-star Matt Lucas jumped to his defence.
Matt tweeted at the time: “Purely objectively – 1) He was probably being polite. Some people are. 2) Boasting about the BGT ratings and popularity when you were briefly on it to someone who has not only transformed the show but is consistently the biggest-selling author in the country didn’t work.”
The show has faced criticism from viewers after it was discovered that many of the 60 competitors who have taken to the stage have a professional profile or have already appeared on other talent shows, including international versions of BGT.
Responding to the latest criticism, an ITV spokesperson told The Sun: “All acts enter the competition with the hope of elevating their career to the highest level and help to reach massive new audiences which Britain’s Got Talent brings in.
“As we’re all aware, the pandemic affected so many lives, particularly those that work in the entertainment industry, and it is wrong to deny these people the opportunity to showcase their talents and entertain the nation, and ultimately perform in front of royalty at the Royal Variety Performance.
“As has always been the case, Britain’s Got Talent is open to everyone.”
Britain’s Got Talent continues this Saturday at 8pm on ITV and the ITV Hub.
Piers Morgan Uncensored more than lived up to its name during Monday night’s episode, when a guest dropped a C-bomb live on air.
During the latest instalment of Piers’ topical Talk TV show, he spoke with “Jame” a protester at a trans rights demonstration organised by the activist group Trans Rise Up.
Advertisement
Jame wore a wig, sunglasses and face mask to obscure their true identity, with the former daytime star beginning the conversation by insisting he had “always supported trans rights to fairness and equality and I mean that sincerely”.
“That’s bullshit, bro,” his guest then suggested, with Piers responding: “You can say ‘bullshit, bro’ and you’re entitled to. It’s an uncensored show and you’ve just proven it.”
As the conversation continued, Piers apologised to viewers for Jame’s language, before stating his “issue” with trans women being allowed to compete alongside cisgender athletes in women’s sport.
Advertisement
“I think it’s very unfair that trans women should be competing against women born to female biological bodies,” he said, before Jame urged him to “shut up, bro”.
“Do you understand that a majority of women athletes do not give a shit about trans women in sports?” Jame asked.
Piers then said: “You can’t just call everyone who disagrees with you transphobic. If you keep swearing I’ll have to cut you off.”
The interview then culminated in Piers asking Jame what their issue was with his position, with the guest beginning to take off their mic, saying: “I don’t really know. I’m going to leave the interview, now. I kind of only came on here because I thought it would be kind of funny. But I wanted to say, ‘you’re a c***’.”
Advertisement
Jame ended the exchange by telling Piers they thought he was a “c***”
Responding to the jibe, Piers branded Jame a “complete idiot” and “very unpleasant piece of work”.
After apologising to viewers again later in the show, Piers added: “It’s a shame. I wanted to have a rational, sensible debate. They didn’t, so that’s it. They won’t be back on and we move on.”
Piers previously tweeted: “Linear TV [is] increasingly irrelevant [compared] to total eyeball potential for a global show like this, especially with younger viewers who don’t really watch TV any more.”
In March 2021, Piers announced that he would be stepping down as host of GMB with immediate effect, after five years with the breakfast TV show.
Advertisement
His exit came at a time the divisive presenter was embroiled in controversy, having just a day earlier made headlines for casting doubt on claims made by Meghan Markle that she had experienced suicidal thoughts during her time as a senior member of the Royal Family.
Now gearing up for the launch of his own TalkTV show, Piers has spoken about how his departure affected his relationship with his former “TV wife”.
Advertisement
Speaking at a press event to promote his nightly show Piers Morgan Uncensored, he explained: “It’s difficult, you know. We had this arranged marriage, which turned out to be very successful. And then we suddenly got divorced one afternoon. And that was it! Gone!
“I went from seeing Susanna Reid in her curlers and her nightie every day at four in the morning to not seeing her. We stay in touch through texting and stuff, but it was all a bit dramatic and sad, really. I think we both feel that.”
Advertisement
Piers and Susanna in September 2021, five months after he left Good Morning Britain
David M. Benett via Getty Images
He continued: “We both felt like we had one of the great on-screen chemistries and it all got ended, in my opinion, in a rather silly way. But [ITV’s] loss is going to be TalkTV’s gain.”
“We went through some really difficult times together as a team and those were very powerful moments,” she continued. “And when it came to the lockdown, the pandemic and holding the government to account, he was just unrivalled at holding their feet to the fire, but then it ended.”
Susanna added: “He’s a friend of mine and that won’t change.”
Advertisement
Piers and Susanna worked together for five years before his sudden exit from GMB
“Effectively I was censored at my previous job,” he claimed. ”[I was] told to apologise to Meghan Markle for an honestly-held opinion, which obviously I wasn’t going to do.”
Piers Morgan Uncensored will launch on TalkTV at 8pm on Monday 25 April.
After five years at the helm of GMB, Piers announced suddenly in March 2021 that he would be stepping down as host with immediate effect.
Advertisement
News of his exit came the day after he made headlines for casting doubt on claims made by Meghan Markle that she had experienced suicidal thoughts during her time as a senior member of the Royal Family, with Piers’ remark eventually inciting a record number of complaints to Ofcom.
During a press event to promote his show Piers Morgan Uncensored, the divisive broadcaster was asked about his exit from GMB, which he branded “ridiculous”, “absurd” and “a farce”.
“I used to think that I was uncensored,” he claimed. “And then, of course, when I left Good Morning Britain it turned out that I actually was being censored, in the sense that I was told I had to apologise for disbelieving Princess Pinochio, or I would have to leave the building. So I took the ‘leave the building’ option.”
Advertisement
He described the decision as a “sad moment” for himself, the show and his “poor TV wife” Susanna Reid, joking: “It was a very dramatic divorce. And I thought it was the wrong call by ITV.
“They had the hottest show on TV, it had just beaten the BBC to become the number one-rated breakfast show in the country. I wasn’t expecting a carriage clock, but I wasn’t expecting to be escorted out of the building. So it was all a bit dramatic.”
Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid pictured on his final day as a presenter on GMB
ITV/Shutterstock
He continued: “It’s interesting to me that Ofcom, the government-appointed TV regulator, five months later, found in my favour, and said that it would have been a chilling infringement on my rights to free speech had I not been able to say, ‘I don’t believe somebody’. So the whole thing seemed to me a bit ridiculous.”
He said: “The moment you try and get me fired, as Megan Markle did on Good Morning Britain, where she personally writes to the boss of ITV and demands my head on a plate, that is cancel culture right there. And the idea that ITV rolled over to it is ridiculous.
“But that’s why I’m here, and I feel, in a way, grateful to them, because I think this is a very exciting new platform and opportunity.”
Meghan Markle
NDZ/Star Max via Getty Images
“The mystery about the ITV thing was that I was hired specifically to have strongly-held opinions,” he added. “So, that’s why I felt the way I had to leave in the end was so absurd. And the more you look back on it, the more you go, ‘what was that all about?’.
“I thought the whole thing was a farce, and I’m delighted that as a result of the farce, we’ve ended up with a whole network that is now dedicated to preventing that kind of farce from recurring.”
Making a somewhat questionable comparison, Piers added that he felt “like Nelson Mandela when he came out of prison”, joking: “It’s like the long walk to free speech freedom.”
Piers went on to insist that he would not be “looking to steal Good Morning Britain viewers”, before throwing some shade at the daytime TV show, which has brought in a string of rotating guest hosts since Piers’ exit.
“I would be looking to pick up all those who’ve stopped watching [GMB],” he claimed. “Which, judging by when I walk around and judging by their ratings, is a lot of people.
“So if you loved Good Morning Britain when I was on it, and you miss me in that way, you know where to find me. There are a lot of people who I think were annoyed about what went down. And they’d be the ones I’d be after.”
Piers Morgan in the GMB studio
Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
Since stepping down from GMB over a year ago, Piers has made a number of seemingly conflicting comments about the nature of his exit.
The morning after the news of his exit, Piers told reporters: “I had a good chat with ITV and we agreed to disagree. I’m just going to take it easy and see how we go.
“If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly-held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it,” he added at the time.
“Effectively I was censored at my previous job,” he claimed. “[I was] told to apologise to Meghan Markle for an honestly-held opinion, which obviously I wasn’t going to do.”
Piers Morgan Uncensored will launch on TalkTV at 8pm on Monday 25 April.
