History of Piers Morgan in Timeline

Piers Morgan is an English journalist and media personality known for his work in the British tabloid press. He started his career at The Sun and rose to become the editor of News of the World at 29, making him the youngest national newspaper editor in over 50 years. He subsequently edited the Daily Mirror but was later dismissed. Morgan also served as editorial director for First News and editor-at-large for MailOnline's American operation, marking a diverse career in print and online media.

Sections (4)

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

1939: Parody of Neville Chamberlain's declaration of war on Germany

The "Achtung Surrender!" headline was accompanied by an open letter from Morgan parodying Neville Chamberlain's declaration of war on Germany in 1939.

March 1965: Birth of Piers Morgan

Piers Stefan O'Meara, now known as Piers Morgan, was born in Guildford, Surrey, on March 30, 1965.

March 1965: Piers Morgan's Birth

Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan was born Piers Stefan O'Meara on March 30, 1965. His parents were Vincent Eamonn O'Meara, an Irish dentist, and Gabrielle Georgina Sybille (née Oliver).

1985: Joins Surrey and South London Newspaper Group

After nine months at Lloyd's of London, Morgan studied journalism at Harlow College, joining the Surrey and South London Newspaper Group in 1985.

1988: Career at The Sun

In 1988, Piers Morgan began his career at the tabloid The Sun.

January 1994: Editor of the News of the World

In January 1994, Piers Morgan became editor of the News of the World after being appointed to the job by Rupert Murdoch.

December 1994: Recruited for 'Bizarre' Column

In December 1994, Piers Morgan was personally recruited by Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie to work on the newspaper's show business column 'Bizarre'.

1994: Editor of News of the World

In 1994, Piers Morgan was appointed editor of the News of the World by Rupert Murdoch, becoming the youngest editor of a British national newspaper in over half a century at the age of 29.

1995: Editor of the Daily Mirror

In 1995, Piers Morgan became the editor of the Daily Mirror.

1995: Departure from News of the World

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

June 1996: "Achtung Surrender!" headline apology

In June 1996, as editor of the Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan apologized on television for the "Achtung Surrender!" headline before the England vs. Germany Euro '96 semi-final.

February 1997: Rebranding Project

In February 1997, the Daily Mirror underwent a £16 million rebranding project under Piers Morgan's leadership.

August 1999: Greenslade praises Morgan's editorship

In August 1999, Roy Greenslade wrote that Piers Morgan's editorship had made a huge difference due to his enthusiasm, determination and focus.

October 1999: Voicemail Interception Advice

During Piers Morgan's tenure, the Daily Mirror was advised by Steven Nott in October 1999 that voicemail interception was possible via standard PIN codes. The story did not feature in the Daily Mirror.

2000: Investigation Regarding Viglen Shares

In 2000, Piers Morgan was investigated after buying £20,000 worth of shares in Viglen before the Mirror's "City Slickers" column tipped it, leading to a breach of conduct finding but retention of his job.

September 2002: Morgan explains phone hacking

In May 2012, Jeremy Paxman recalled a lunch with Piers Morgan in September 2002 at which Morgan outlined the means of hacking a mobile phone voicemail.

2002: Move mid-market and appointment of Christopher Hitchens

In 2002, the Daily Mirror attempted to move mid-market, appointing Christopher Hitchens as a columnist, but sales declined.

2002: Alleged publication of hacked story.

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

October 2003: Clarkson pours water over Morgan

In October 2003, Jeremy Clarkson poured a glass of water over Piers Morgan on the last flight of Concorde in response to photographs published in the Mirror.

2003: Interview with Charlotte Church

In 2003, Piers Morgan explained to Charlotte Church how to avoid journalists listening to answerphone messages.

2003: The Importance of Being Famous Documentary Series

In 2003, Piers Morgan presented a three-part BBC documentary series titled The Importance of Being Famous, exploring fame and media coverage of celebrities.

March 2004: Clarkson punches Morgan

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

May 2004: Campbell v MGN Ltd

In May 2004, The Law Lords found in favour of model Naomi Campbell on 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 after refusing to apologize for publishing fake photographs of Iraqi prisoners being abused.

2004: Fired from the Daily Mirror

In 2004, Piers Morgan was fired from his position as editor of the Daily Mirror.

2004: Cleared of Charges

In 2004, The Department of Trade and Industry cleared Piers Morgan of any charges related to the Viglen shares investigation.

May 2005: Acquisition of Press Gazette and British Press Awards

In May 2005, Piers Morgan, in partnership with Matthew Freud, acquired Press Gazette and the British Press Awards for £1 million.

December 2005: Conviction of Bhoyrul and Hipwell

On December 7, 2005, Anil Bhoyrul and James Hipwell were convicted of conspiracy to breach the Financial Services Act, during the trial it emerged that Morgan had bought £67,000 worth of Viglen shares.

May 2006: Launch of First News

In May 2006, Piers Morgan launched First News, a weekly newspaper aimed at children aged seven to 14, describing it as "Britain's first national newspaper for children".

2006: Editorial Director of First News

From 2006, Piers Morgan held the position of editorial director at First News.

2006: Joins America's Got Talent as Judge

In 2006, Piers Morgan became a judge on America's Got Talent alongside Brandy Norwood and David Hasselhoff on NBC.

2006: Judge on America's Got Talent

In 2006, Piers Morgan became a judge on the television talent show America's Got Talent.

2006: Final Year on Pride of Britain Awards

In 2006, Piers Morgan served his final year as chairman of the panel selecting recipients of the Pride of Britain Awards, a role he had held since 1999.

2006: Boycott of British Press Awards

In 2006, the ownership of Press Gazette and British Press Awards by Piers Morgan was cited as a reason for a boycott by many major newspapers of the awards.

2007: Judge on Britain's Got Talent

In 2007, Piers Morgan began serving as a judge on the television talent show Britain's Got Talent.

2007: Morgan Falls Off Segway

In 2007, Piers Morgan fell off a Segway, breaking three ribs. Simon Cowell mocked Morgan's 2003 comment about George W. Bush falling off a Segway.

2007: Appears on Comic Relief and Britain's Got Talent

In 2007, Piers Morgan participated in Comic Relief Does The Apprentice, being fired after his team lost. He also appeared as a judge on Britain's Got Talent with Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell.

2007: End of tenure at First News

In 2007, Piers Morgan's tenure as editorial director of First News came to an end.

January 2008: Piers Morgan on Sandbanks Documentary

In January 2008, Piers Morgan fronted a three-part documentary for ITV entitled Piers Morgan on Sandbanks.

2008: Winner of The Celebrity Apprentice

In 2008, Piers Morgan won The Celebrity Apprentice, where he appeared with Donald Trump.

February 2009: Piers Morgan On... Series Begins

In February 2009, Piers Morgan began his three-part series, Piers Morgan On..., visiting Dubai, Monte Carlo, and Hollywood.

2009: Host of Piers Morgan's Life Stories

In 2009, Piers Morgan began hosting the ITV talk show Piers Morgan's Life Stories.

2010: End of Britain's Got Talent Judging Role

In 2010, Piers Morgan's tenure as a judge on Britain's Got Talent concluded.

2010: Second series of Piers Morgan On...

In 2010, the programme Piers Morgan On... returned for a second series when Morgan visited Las Vegas in one episode.

January 2011: Replaces Larry King on CNN with Piers Morgan Live

On January 17, 2011, Piers Morgan replaced Larry King on CNN with his show, Piers Morgan Live.

July 2011: Allegations of Publishing Hacked Story

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

July 2011: Nott visited by Operation Weeting officers

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

December 2011: Appears at Leveson Inquiry

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

2011: Host of Piers Morgan Live

In 2011, Piers Morgan began hosting the CNN talk show Piers Morgan Live.

2011: Denial of Phone Hacking Involvement

In 2011, Piers Morgan denied ever hacking a phone and stated he had not knowingly 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 or played a recording of Paul McCartney's phone call to Piers Morgan.

May 2012: Paxman testifies at Leveson Inquiry

In May 2012, Jeremy Paxman testified at the Leveson Inquiry that in September 2002, Piers Morgan outlined the means of hacking mobile phone voicemails.

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, during which he explained how to avoid journalists listening to answerphone messages.

November 2012: Leveson Inquiry Findings

On November 29, 2012, the Leveson Inquiry's official findings were released, stating that Piers Morgan's testimony on phone hacking was "utterly unpersuasive" and that he was aware of criminal behavior in the press but joked about it.

2012: Morgan Contradicts Himself on Knowing Jimmy Savile

In 2012, following revelations of Jimmy Savile's sexual abuse against children, Morgan claimed he had "never met" Savile, contradicting a 2009 piece he wrote about their encounter.

December 2013: Interviewed Under Caution

On December 6, 2013, Piers Morgan was interviewed under caution by police officers from Operation Weeting regarding phone hacking allegations at Mirror Group Newspapers.

February 2014: Cancellation of Piers Morgan Live

In February 2014, Piers Morgan Live was cancelled due to poor ratings, with the show ending in March 2014.

March 2014: End of Piers Morgan Live

In March 2014, Piers Morgan Live ended its run on CNN due to poor ratings.

September 2014: Morgan Becomes MailOnline Editor-at-Large

In September 2014, Piers Morgan became the first editor-at-large of the MailOnline website's US operation, contributing several columns each week.

September 2014: Trinity Mirror Admits Phone Hacking

In September 2014, Trinity Mirror admitted that some of its journalists engaged in phone hacking and agreed to pay compensation to those who sued. The alleged hacking occurred primarily in the early 2000s when Morgan was the Daily Mirror editor, although he has denied involvement.

2014: Editor-at-Large for MailOnline

In 2014, Piers Morgan became the first editor-at-large of the MailOnline website's American operation.

2014: End of Piers Morgan Live

In 2014, Piers Morgan's run as host of Piers Morgan Live came to an end.

April 2015: Guest Host on Good Morning Britain

From April 13 to 17, 2015, Piers Morgan guest-hosted five episodes of Good Morning Britain on ITV.

November 2015: Becomes Permanent Co-Host on Good Morning Britain

In November 2015, Piers Morgan became a permanent co-host on Good Morning Britain, alongside Susanna Reid and Charlotte Hawkins.

2015: Co-presenter of Good Morning Britain

In 2015, Piers Morgan began co-presenting the ITV Breakfast programme Good Morning Britain alongside Susanna Reid.

March 2016: Interviews Donald Trump on Good Morning Britain

In March 2016, Piers Morgan interviewed Donald Trump on Good Morning Britain.

2016: Hosts Killer Women with Piers Morgan

From 2016 to 2017, Piers Morgan interviewed female murderers on the TV series Killer Women with Piers Morgan.

January 2017: Challenged on Support for Trump on Loose Women

In late January 2017, Piers Morgan appeared on ITV's Loose Women and was challenged to repudiate Donald Trump, expressing disagreements on several issues.

November 2017: Criticizes Trump for Retweeting Britain First

In late November 2017, Piers Morgan criticized Donald Trump for retweeting videos by Britain First, a far-right fascist party.

2017: Presents Serial Killer with Piers Morgan

In 2017, Piers Morgan presented Serial Killer with Piers Morgan, as part of the Crime & Punishment season on ITV.

January 2018: Interviews Trump for ITV

In January 2018, Piers Morgan presented President Trump – The Piers Morgan Interview for ITV, which was viewed by many as "sycophantic."

July 2018: Interviews Trump on Air Force One

In July 2018, Piers Morgan interviewed Donald Trump on Air Force One during his official visit to the UK, in a TV special titled Piers, The President and Air Force One.

October 2018: Cameo Appearance on Hollyoaks

In October 2018, Piers Morgan made a cameo appearance on Hollyoaks.

December 2018: Applies to Become White House Chief of Staff

In December 2018, Piers Morgan wrote a letter to Donald Trump formally applying to become White House Chief of Staff.

June 2019: Interviews Trump During State Visit

In June 2019, during Donald Trump's state visit to the United Kingdom, Piers Morgan interviewed Trump at the Churchill War Rooms.

April 2020: Criticizes Trump's COVID-19 Handling

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Piers Morgan wrote a highly critical article of Donald Trump's handling of the crisis, particularly his suggestion of "ingesting" disinfectant. Trump unfollowed Morgan on Twitter as a result.

2020: End of Piers Morgan's Life Stories

In 2020, Piers Morgan's run as the host of Piers Morgan's Life Stories came to an end.

2020: Criticism of Meghan and Harry's Decision to Step Away from Royal Duties

In early 2020, after Meghan and Harry stepped away from royal duties, Piers Morgan described them as "the two most spoiled brats in history". He was later accused of racism towards the Duchess, leading to calls for an advertiser boycott of Good Morning Britain.

March 2021: Departure from Good Morning Britain

In March 2021, Piers Morgan left Good Morning Britain after criticizing the Oprah with Meghan and Harry interview. Ofcom received over 57,000 complaints but cleared Morgan of wrongdoing.

March 2021: Leaves Good Morning Britain After Controversy

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

2021: Departure from Good Morning Britain

In 2021, Piers Morgan left his position as co-presenter on ITV's Good Morning Britain.

April 2022: Trump Calls Morgan a Fool and Walks Out of Interview

In April 2022, during an interview with Piers Morgan, Donald Trump called him a fool and walked out, labeling him "very dishonest" after Morgan stated Trump lost a free and fair election.

2022: Presenter for TalkTV

In 2022, Piers Morgan became a presenter for TalkTV, hosting the program Piers Morgan Uncensored.

June 2023: Prince Harry Accuses Morgan of Phone Hacking

In June 2023, Prince Harry accused Morgan of attacking him and his wife Meghan, and of hacking their phones, including that of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales. This accusation was made during Harry's case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).

December 2023: Harry Awarded Damages Against MGN; Judge Implicates Morgan in Phone Hacking

In December 2023, Harry was awarded £140,600 in damages against MGN after the High Court ruled that some articles about him were the product of phone hacking. Mr. Justice Fancourt stated that Morgan and other editors knew about and were involved in the phone hacking at their publications.

2023: Court Case Findings on Phone Hacking Knowledge

In 2023, a judge in a court case against Mirror Group Newspapers found evidence that Piers Morgan knew about private phone hacking, shared a method of phone hacking with a media professional, and played another's private phone message in the newsroom.