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Piers Morgan’s tumultuous career: From Daily Mirror firing to CNN exit

He refused to say sorry!

Piers Morgan was famously fired from the Daily Mirror but what exactly happened? And what has he said about it?

Also, why did he leave hosting at CNN in America?

Find out about Piers Morgan’s successful yet rollercoaster career below… proof that when life knocks you done, you get yourself up again as there’s better to shoot for!

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Piers refuses to apologise (Credit: SplashNews)

Why was Piers Morgan fired from Daily Mirror?

Piers was fired from his role at the Daily Mirror in 2004.

Here he had served as the editor for a decade.

Read more: Piers Morgan takes aim at Gemma Collins’ trolls

He was let go over photos published that claimed to depict British soldiers abusing an Iraqi prisoner.

However, these photos were later claimed to be fake.

The newspaper said in a statement: “The Daily Mirror published in good faith photographs which it absolutely believed were genuine images of British soldiers abusing an Iraqi prisoner.

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Piers transitioned from newspapers to the telly (Credit: SplashNews)

“However there is now sufficient evidence to suggest that these pictures are fakes.

“And that the Daily Mirror has been the subject of a calculated and malicious hoax.”

Read more: Piers Morgan reignites ‘feud’ with BBC Breakfast’s Dan Walker

The statement continued: “The board of Trinity Mirror has decided that it would be inappropriate for Piers Morgan to continue in his role as editor of the Daily Mirror.

“He will therefore be stepping down with immediate effect.”

This was followed up by the newspaper’s front page reading: ‘Sorry We Were Hoaxed.’

What has Piers said about being fired from The Mirror?

Piers said he was fired because he refused to apologise for publishing the photos.

He said that the photos had been carefully examined by experts, including the Ministry of Defence, who did not question their validity.

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Piers won’t say sorry (Credit: SplashNews)

Speaking to Politico in 2013, Piers said American investors were also concerned.

The former editor said: “I was fired because there was pressure from American investors in Trinity Mirror towards the management, they were getting twitchy about the effect on the company’s reputation and stock price and so on.

He added: “And I refused to apologise or accept that we had necessarily been duped.”

Was Piers involved in phone hacking?

Piers has repeatedly denied he had any involvement in the infamous phone hacking scandals associated with several British tabloids.

As a former editor of Daily Mirror and News of the World, questions over his potential involvement have been raised.

He has been questioned at least twice by the British police over the matter.

Piers with his second wife Celia Walden
Piers with his second wife Celia Walden

In 2011, he denied any knowledge or involvement in alleged phone-hacking while being questioned at the Leveson Inquiry.

He said: “I  would say the average editor is aware of 5% of what his journalists are up to at any given time on any newspaper.

“But certainly all journalists knew they had to operate within the law. That was enshrined in their contracts of employment.”

When was Piers on The Apprentice?

Piers Morgan was on the first series of  the US Celebrity Apprentice in 2008.

In fact, he was billed as a ‘notorious British tabloid editor’ on the show.

He won the series and famously became an enemy of Omarosa Newman.

His win sparked a long-term friendship with Donald Trump.

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A post shared by Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan)

Enabling Piers to secure several exclusives interviews with President Trump.

However, since President Trump lost the 2020 US election Piers has spoken out against his former pal.

Was Piers fired from CNN?

Piers Morgan was not fired from CNN. However, his show, Piers Morgan Live, was axed after four years on air.

This was due to a dive in ratings.

Piers joined CNN in a deal said to be worth millions in 2011, replacing the legendary Larry King Live.

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A fresh-faced Piers on CNN (Credit: CNN)

He kicked off with around two million views per episode. But by 2014 this had dwindled to around 270,000.

In 2012 Piers angered some Americans when he advocated for more stringent gun control laws.

What did Larry King say about Piers Morgan?

Larry King did not appear to be particularly impressed with his replacement.

The late television host said: “He’s certainly not bad. He’s certainly an acceptable host.

“He asks good questions, maybe he interrupts a little too much at times. I think he may have been oversold.”

Larry said Piers was ‘oversold’ (Credit: SplashNews)

When did Piers join Good Morning Britain?

Piers joined Good Morning Britain on ITV in 2015 and usually hosts alongside Susanna Reid.

He works Monday to Wednesday on the breakfast show, giving himself and viewers a break each week!

Is he leaving GMB?

Piers has joked several times that he is leaving GMB. However, he continues to work for the early morning news programme.

And ratings just keep going up with him on the panel!

Poster

He signed a new two-year contract with ITV in December 2019. It will be up for renewal at the end of this year.

Are you a Piers fan? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor