Piers Morgan Announces He's Leaving TalkTV After 2 Years
Piers Morgan on the set of his show UncensoredPiers Morgan has announced he’s leaving TalkTV after two years, and turning his Uncensored show into a YouTube series.
On Thursday evening, the former daytime presenter announced the news in The Times, claiming the restrictions of a regular TV show were becoming an “unnecessary straitjacket”.
“It’s clear there’s a huge global demand for the content we’re making, but the commitment to a daily show at a fixed schedule, with all the editing and time sensitivities that involves, has been an increasingly unnecessary straitjacket,” he claimed.
Morgan pointed out that his Uncensored clips are regularly viewed by millions of people, while viewing figures for his TalkTV show rarely exceed six figures.
“People are watching the content on YouTube rather than conventional television and I have no problem with that,” Morgan explained.
“You can’t defy audiences or tell them how they should be consuming.”
Piers Morgan at The Sun's Who Cares Wins Awards last yearMorgan said the shift to YouTube would allow for longer interviews and less “fill time” on occasions when “there is nothing happening”, while certain segments from Piers Morgan Uncensored will still air on TalkTV.
Piers Morgan Uncensored launched in April 2022, just over a year after the host’s abrupt exit from Good Morning Britain, the same day he stormed off set when his co-host Alex Beresford challenged him on comments he’d made about Meghan Markle.
A day earlier, Morgan had sparked controversy when he cast doubt on claims made by the Duchess of Sussex during a TV interview, including that she’d experienced suicidal thoughts while still a senior member of the Royal Family.
At the time, Morgan’s comments became the most complained-about moment in Ofcom’s history.
Piers and his former GMB co-host Susanna ReidSince launching Piers Morgan Uncensored, the broadcaster has interviewed everyone from Donald Trump and Rishi Sunak to Kanye West and Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, while he’s not struggled to land high-profile and often controversial interview subjects, it hasn’t managed to translate into high ratings for TalkTV.
Around the announcement of his shift to YouTube, Morgan found himself at the centre of backlash again, after he claimed he would “dismember” and “probably incinerate” Prince Harry were the Duke of Sussex a member of his family.
Earlier in the week, he also sparked controversy when he and Rishi Sunak were seen betting £1,000 on whether or not the prime minister would get migrants deported to Rwanda before the next general election.
