Major Controversies Surrounding Piers Morgan: A Detailed Timeline

Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Piers Morgan.

Piers Morgan is a British broadcaster, journalist, and writer. He started at The Sun in 1988 and became the youngest editor of a British national newspaper in over 50 years when he took the helm at News of the World in 1994, at the age of 29. He later edited the Daily Mirror but was fired in 2004. He also served as editorial director of First News and became editor-at-large of MailOnline's American operation in 2014.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

1939: Parody of Neville Chamberlain's declaration of war

In June 1996, as editor of the Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan issued a headline which parodied Neville Chamberlain's 1939 declaration of war.

1995: Leaves News of the World

In 1995, Piers Morgan left his position at News of the World after publishing photographs of Catherine Victoria Lockwood, then wife of Charles, Earl Spencer, which violated the editors' code of conduct.

June 1996: "ACHTUNG! SURRENDER" Headline

In June 1996, as editor of the Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan apologised on television for the headline "ACHTUNG! SURRENDER; For you, Fritz, ze Euro 96 Championship is over" published on June 25, 1996, before a football match between England and Germany in the UEFA Euro 1996 semi-final.

1998: Start of alleged phone hacking

In 1998, alleged phone hacking took place according to legal papers seen by the BBC.

October 1999: Voicemail Interception Advice

During Piers Morgan's tenure as editor, the Daily Mirror was advised by Steven Nott that voicemail interception was possible, but the story did not appear in the paper until it was featured in a South Wales Argus article and on BBC Radio 5 Live in October 1999.

2000: Investigation over Viglen Shares

In 2000, Piers Morgan was investigated after Suzy Jagger revealed he bought £20,000 of Viglen shares before the Mirror's "City Slickers" column tipped Viglen as a good investment.

September 2002: Lunch with Paxman

On May 23, 2012, Jeremy Paxman testified at the Leveson Inquiry, recalling a lunch in September 2002 with Piers Morgan during which Morgan outlined how to hack a mobile phone voicemail using the SIM card network's default security code.

2002: Eriksson-Jonsson Story

In July 2011, political blogger Paul Staines alleged that Piers Morgan, while editor of the Daily Mirror in 2002, published a story concerning the affair of Sven-Göran Eriksson and Ulrika Jonsson knowing it had been obtained by phone hacking.

October 2003: Clarkson's Water Incident

In October 2003, Jeremy Clarkson emptied a glass of water over Piers Morgan during the last flight of Concorde due to some photographs published in the Mirror.

2003: Interview with Charlotte Church

In 2003, Piers Morgan explained to Charlotte Church during an interview how to avoid answerphone messages being listened to by journalists. This footage was featured in the Channel 4 documentary Taking on the Tabloids in November 2012.

March 2004: Clarkson Punches Morgan

In March 2004, Jeremy Clarkson punched Piers Morgan three times at the British Press Awards during an argument.

May 2004: Campbell v MGN Ltd Ruling

In May 2004, the Law Lords ruled in favour of Naomi Campbell in Campbell v MGN Ltd, citing privacy grounds after the Mirror published a photograph of her entering a Narcotics Anonymous clinic.

May 2004: Sacked as Editor of Daily Mirror

On May 14, 2004, Piers Morgan was sacked as editor of the Daily Mirror for publishing fake photographs allegedly showing Iraqi prisoners being abused by British Army soldiers, and his refusal to apologize for their publication to Sly Bailey, head of Trinity Mirror.

December 2005: Conviction of "City Slickers" Columnists

On December 7, 2005, Anil Bhoyrul and James Hipwell, the "City Slickers" columnists, were convicted of conspiracy to breach the Financial Services Act in connection with the Viglen shares investigation; during the trial, it emerged that Morgan had invested £67,000 in Viglen shares.

2009: Morgan praises Jimmy Savile

In 2009, Piers Morgan wrote a piece in The Mail on Sunday's Night & Day magazine praising Jimmy Savile.

May 2011: Piers Morgan Bans Hugh Grant From His Shows

In May 2011, Piers Morgan banned actor Hugh Grant from his shows on CNN and ITV after Grant criticized the tabloid press.

July 2011: Allegations of Phone Hacking

July 2011: Nott Visited by Operation Weeting

On July 18, 2011, Steven Nott was visited by officers of Operation Weeting.

December 2011: Leveson Inquiry Witness

On December 20, 2011, Piers Morgan appeared as a witness via satellite link from the United States at the Leveson Inquiry. He admitted to hearing a recording of an answerphone message left by Paul McCartney for Heather Mills but refused to disclose its source.

2011: Denies Phone Hacking

In 2011, Piers Morgan denied having ever hacked a phone and stated that he had not, to his knowledge, published any story obtained from phone hacking.

February 2012: Mills' Testimony at Leveson Inquiry

On February 9, 2012, Heather Mills testified at the Leveson Inquiry, denying that she ever made a recording of Paul McCartney's phone call or played it to Piers Morgan and stated that she never authorised Morgan to access her voicemails.

March 2012: MTV Reports on Piers Morgan's Bad Relations with Madonna

In March 2012, MTV reported on the strained relationship between Piers Morgan and Madonna, noting that Morgan claimed he had been misled by the singer's publicist over the years.

May 2012: Paxman's Testimony at Leveson Inquiry

September 2012: Piers Morgan Bans Kelsey Grammer From His Show After Seeing Ex-Wife's Photo

In September 2012, Piers Morgan reportedly banned actor Kelsey Grammer from his show after Grammer saw a photo of his ex-wife, Camille, during the show's opening. Reports suggested Grammer felt it was an ambush, though it was stated he had agreed to answer questions about his ex-wife, only requesting that no images of her be shown.

November 2012: Leveson Inquiry findings released

In November 2012, the official findings of the Leveson Inquiry were released. Lord Justice Leveson deemed Piers Morgan's testimony under oath regarding phone hacking as "utterly unpersuasive", stating that while the evidence didn't prove Morgan authorized hacking, it demonstrated his awareness and lack of concern about the criminal behavior within the press.

November 2012: Taking on the Tabloids Documentary

On November 28, 2012, the Channel 4 documentary Taking on the Tabloids featured footage from a 2003 interview with Piers Morgan by Charlotte Church, during which he explained how to avoid answerphone messages being listened to by journalists.

2012: Morgan denies knowing Jimmy Savile

In 2012, following the revelation of Jimmy Savile's sexual abuse against children, Piers Morgan stated he had "never met" Savile, contradicting a 2009 piece he wrote in The Mail on Sunday's Night & Day magazine.

December 2013: Interviewed under caution by police

In December 2013, Piers Morgan was interviewed under caution by police officers from Operation Weeting, who were investigating phone hacking allegations at Mirror Group Newspapers during his time as editor.

February 2014: Janet Mock Criticizes Piers Morgan After Interview

In February 2014, transgender rights activist Janet Mock criticized Piers Morgan after appearing on Piers Morgan Live, objecting to his description of her as "formerly a man." She appeared again to debate the dispute on February 5th.

September 2014: Trinity Mirror admits phone hacking involvement

In September 2014, Trinity Mirror admitted for the first time that some of its journalists had been involved in phone hacking and agreed to pay compensation. Legal papers indicated the alleged wrongdoing occurred in the early 2000s when Morgan was the Daily Mirror editor.

April 2015: Aaron Ramsey Refuses to Shake Piers Morgan's Hand

On April 26, 2015, Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey refused to shake Piers Morgan's hand due to the criticism he received from Morgan during the 2012–13 season. Morgan responded by calling Ramsey 'whatshisname'.

2015: Ofcom Criticizes Piers Morgan's Reaction to Foul Language On Air

In 2015, Ofcom criticized Piers Morgan for laughing as a guest repeatedly used the word 'fucking' live on air. While no action was taken due to Susanna Reid's quick apology, Ofcom expressed concern over his behaviour.

2015: John Cleese Expresses Detestation for Piers Morgan

In 2015, comedian John Cleese stated he "truly detested" Piers Morgan and avoided him in a restaurant. He also mistakenly claimed Morgan had "admitted" to authorising phone-hacking. Morgan responded that the "revulsion" was "mutual".

April 2016: Ofcom Assesses Complaints Against Piers Morgan's Interview with Christian Magistrate

In April 2016, Ofcom received complaints regarding comments made by Piers Morgan during an interview with Christian magistrate Richard Page about gay marriage, with viewers feeling the comments implied Christians were homophobic. Ofcom confirmed on April 13, 2016, that Morgan would not be investigated.

January 2017: Ewan McGregor Pulls Out of Good Morning Britain Appearance Due to Piers Morgan's Views on Women's March

In January 2017, Ewan McGregor cancelled his appearance on Good Morning Britain after disagreeing with Piers Morgan's criticism of the Women's March on Washington, which Morgan described as "vacuous" and its protesters as "rabid feminists". Morgan responded by calling McGregor a "paedophile-loving hypocrite" due to his past support of Roman Polanski.

November 2017: Criticizes Trump for retweeting Britain First

In late November 2017, Piers Morgan criticized Donald Trump for retweeting Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of the far-right party Britain First, calling them disgustingly racist.

2017: John Cleese Continues Criticism of Piers Morgan

In 2017, John Cleese reiterated his negative opinion of Piers Morgan, calling him an "awful creep" and stating that he had been avoiding him. This followed their initial clash in 2015.

January 2020: Piers Morgan Accused of Racism over Chinese Dairy Advert Comments

In January 2020, Piers Morgan faced accusations of racism and received over 1,000 Ofcom complaints for comments he made relating to a Chinese dairy advert, including phrases like "ching chong ching milk" and "ching chang cho jo." He was criticized for using language perceived as mocking and antagonizing Chinese people.

April 2020: Critical of Trump's COVID-19 handling

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Piers Morgan wrote a highly critical article in his MailOnline column about Donald Trump's handling of the crisis, especially Trump's suggestion of "ingesting" disinfectant. In response, Trump unfollowed Morgan on Twitter.

May 2020: Piers Morgan Acknowledges Criticism Over Duchess Comments

In May 2020, Piers Morgan acknowledged that his comments about the Duchess of Sussex may have gone too far and become too personal after being challenged by Decca Aitkenhead of The Sunday Times. He stated that he would try to temper his comments going forward.

2020: Criticism of Harry and Meghan

In early 2020, Piers Morgan strongly criticized Harry and Meghan for stepping away from royal duties, calling them "the two most spoiled brats in history." He also accused Meghan of influencing Harry to leave his family and country.

March 2021: Harry and Meghan Oprah Interview

During an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle alleged racist comments from the extended family.

March 2021: Leaves Good Morning Britain

In March 2021, Piers Morgan left Good Morning Britain following controversy over his remarks about Oprah with Meghan and Harry, including a heated on-air argument with Alex Beresford.

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March 2021: Piers Morgan Doubts Meghan Markle's Account and Quits Good Morning Britain

In March 2021, Piers Morgan publicly doubted the veracity of Meghan Markle's statements about her mental health and alleged racism within the Royal Family during her interview with Oprah Winfrey. This led to a tense on-air argument with Alex Beresford on Good Morning Britain on March 9th, causing Morgan to walk off set and ultimately quit the show. Mental health charity Mind expressed disappointment in Morgan's comments.

March 2021: Ofcom Launches Investigation into Piers Morgan's Remarks About Meghan Markle's Mental Health

On March 9, 2021, Ofcom launched an investigation after receiving over 41,000 complaints about Piers Morgan's remarks on Good Morning Britain regarding the Duchess of Sussex's mental health. By March 17, the complaints reached 57,000, setting an Ofcom record. The Duchess of Sussex also complained to Ofcom.

September 2021: Ofcom Clears ITV over Piers Morgan's Comments, But Criticizes His Disregard for Suicide

In September 2021, Ofcom cleared ITV of wrongdoing regarding Piers Morgan's comments about the Duchess of Sussex's mental health, citing freedom of speech. However, Ofcom criticized Morgan's "apparent disregard" for the subject of suicide. Morgan celebrated the ruling as a victory for free speech.

April 2022: Trump calls Morgan a fool

In April 2022, during an interview, Piers Morgan told Donald Trump he lost a free and fair election. Trump responded by calling him a fool and walking out of the interview.

June 2023: Prince Harry accuses Morgan of phone hacking

In June 2023, Prince Harry accused Piers Morgan of attacking him and his wife, Meghan, to dissuade him from his legal action against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), and of hacking his and his mother Diana's phones.

November 2023: Piers Morgan Reveals Royal Family Members' Names

In November 2023, Piers Morgan revealed on his show, Piers Morgan Uncensored, the names of two Royal Family members allegedly involved in conversations about the skin color of Meghan's baby. This followed the publication of Omid Scobie's book Endgame, which contained the names in its Dutch version. The Royal Family was said to be considering all options after Morgan's disclosure, which he defended as lawful.

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December 2023: High Court awards Harry damages against MGN

On December 15, 2023, Prince Harry was awarded £140,600 in damages by the High Court against MGN, after 15 out of 33 sample articles were ruled as products of phone hacking. The ruling stated that Morgan and other editors knew about and were involved in the phone hacking.

2023: Comments on DeSantis and Trump

In 2023, Piers Morgan said the Republican Party needed Ron DeSantis instead of Trump. Trump responded by attacking both DeSantis and Morgan, criticizing DeSantis for chatting with a "Ratings Challenged TV Host from England".

2023: Court case findings

In 2023, a judge in a court case against Mirror Group Newspapers found truthful evidence that Piers Morgan knew about private phone hacking from a reporter, shared a method of phone hacking with a media professional while being questioned about a reporting scoop, and that Morgan played another's private phone message in the newsroom he had received from another tabloid editor.