Piers Morgan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Piers Morgan
Morgan in 2023
Born	Piers Stefan O'Meara (1965-03-30) 30 March 1965 (age 60) Guildford, Surrey, England
Education	Harlow College
Occupation	Broadcaster journalist writer media personality
Years active	1985–present
Employer	News of the World (1994–1995) Daily Mirror (1995–2004) First News (2006–2007) CNN (2011–2014) MailOnline (2014–2021) ITV (2007–2021) The Sun (1989–1994, 2022–) TalkTV (2022–2024)
Spouse(s)	Marion Shalloe ​ ​ (m. 1991; div. 2008)​ Celia Walden ​ ​ (m. 2010)​
Children	4
Relatives	George Walden (father-in-law) Rebecca Loos (second cousin)

Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (born 30 March 1965) is a well-known English journalist, broadcaster, and media personality. He is famous for his outspoken views and has hosted many popular television shows in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

He started his career as a journalist for The Sun newspaper. In 1994, at age 29, he became the editor of the News of the World, making him the youngest national newspaper editor in Britain in over 50 years. He later edited the Daily Mirror but was fired in 2004.

Morgan is also a famous television presenter. He hosted Piers Morgan's Life Stories on ITV and Piers Morgan Live on CNN. He was a co-host of the breakfast show Good Morning Britain from 2015 to 2021. He has also been a judge on talent shows like America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent. From 2022 to 2024, he hosted Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV before moving the show to YouTube.

Morgan has often been at the center of controversy. He was the editor of the Daily Mirror during a time when the paper was involved in a phone hacking scandal. He has always said he did not know about any phone hacking. However, a judge in a 2023 court case said there was evidence that Morgan knew about the practice.

Early Life and Schooling

Piers Morgan was born Piers Stefan O'Meara in Guildford, Surrey, on 30 March 1965. His father was a dentist from Ireland, and his mother was from England. The family moved to Newick, East Sussex, shortly after he was born.

His father passed away when Piers was just 11 months old. His mother later remarried, and Piers took his stepfather's last name, Pughe-Morgan. He attended several schools, including Cumnor House prep school and Chailey School. After finishing school, he studied journalism at Harlow College.

Career in Newspapers

Working for Murdoch

Morgan's career in newspapers began in 1988 at The Sun. He worked on the "Bizarre" column, which covered news about celebrities. He became known for writing about famous people like Madonna and David Bowie.

In 1994, the owner of the newspaper, Rupert Murdoch, made him the editor of the News of the World. At only 29 years old, he was the youngest national newspaper editor in more than 50 years. However, he left this job in 1995 after publishing photos that caused a lot of controversy and broke the editors' code of conduct.

Editor of the Daily Mirror

Morgan became the editor of the Daily Mirror, a newspaper that supports the Labour Party. This was surprising to some, as Morgan had previously said he supported the Conservative Party.

In 2004, Morgan was fired from the Daily Mirror. This happened after the newspaper published photographs that were supposed to show British soldiers mistreating Iraqi prisoners. The photos turned out to be fakes. The newspaper printed an apology, saying it had been tricked by a "calculated and malicious hoax." Morgan, however, refused to apologize, saying the abuse shown in the photos was similar to what was really happening at the time.

Phone Hacking Controversy

While Morgan was editor, the Daily Mirror was connected to a phone hacking scandal. This involved journalists illegally listening to private voicemail messages on people's phones.

In 2011, Morgan appeared at the Leveson Inquiry, a public investigation into the behavior of the British press. He said he did not believe phone hacking happened at the Mirror while he was editor. However, the head of the inquiry, Brian Leveson, said Morgan's comments were "utterly unpersuasive." Leveson believed Morgan knew that phone hacking was happening in the newspaper industry.

In a 2023 court case against the Mirror's parent company, a judge found there was evidence that Morgan knew about phone hacking. The judge said Morgan was told about it by a reporter and even shared a method for hacking phones with another media professional. Morgan has always denied any involvement in phone hacking.

Television Career

Morgan in 2012

Morgan became a familiar face on television even before he left the Daily Mirror. He has been a judge on talent shows like America's Got Talent (2006–2011) and Britain's Got Talent (2007–2010).

In 2008, he won the American TV show The Celebrity Apprentice, which was hosted by future U.S. president Donald Trump.

From 2009 to 2020, he hosted Piers Morgan's Life Stories on ITV, where he interviewed famous people like Cheryl and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. In 2011, he took over from Larry King on CNN with his own show, Piers Morgan Live, which ran until 2014.

Good Morning Britain

In 2015, Morgan became a permanent co-host of the ITV breakfast show Good Morning Britain alongside Susanna Reid. He was known for his strong opinions and often had heated debates on the show.

He left the show in March 2021. This followed comments he made about the interview Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, gave to Oprah Winfrey. Morgan said he did not believe some of the things Meghan said, which led to a tense argument on air with his co-host Alex Beresford. Morgan walked off the set and quit the show later that day.

The UK's media regulator, Ofcom, received over 57,000 complaints from viewers, including one from the Duchess herself. After an investigation, Ofcom cleared Morgan and ITV, stating that limiting his views would be a "chilling restriction" on freedom of speech.

Relationship with Donald Trump

Morgan and Donald Trump became friends after Morgan won The Celebrity Apprentice in 2008. Morgan often defended Trump but also criticized him on certain issues, like gun control and climate change. He interviewed Trump several times, including once on the presidential plane, Air Force One.

However, their friendship soured after the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 United States presidential election. Morgan became very critical of Trump's actions. In a 2022 interview, Morgan told Trump he had lost the election, which led to Trump calling him a "fool" and walking out.

Personal Life

Morgan married Marion Shalloe in 1991, and they had three sons together. They divorced in 2008. In 2010, he married journalist Celia Walden, and they have one daughter. He lives in London but also has homes in East Sussex and Beverly Hills, California.

Morgan is a big fan of the Arsenal football club. He was a vocal critic of their former manager, Arsène Wenger, and often called for him to be sacked.

In politics, Morgan has voted for different parties over the years. He has described himself as a centrist. He voted to remain in the European Union in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Filmography

Television

Film

See also

In Spanish: Piers Morgan para niños