The 8 most tabloid-y things Piers Morgan did as a CNN host

The former CNN anchor is now editor-at-large of the Daily Mail Online, a much better fit

Published September 30, 2014 8:25PM (EDT)

Former CNN news anchor Piers Morgan, whose last show aired in March, has found a new home at the Daily Mail Online as editor-at-large. Morgan, who has penned a column for the Daily Mail since 2004, will now write commentary "several times each week."

This is the first major news role since his CNN gig, Politico reports, also observing that Morgan "will fit right in with Mail Online's provocative approach to news and gossip."

Indeed, both Morgan and the Daily Mail are known for their salacious and tone-deaf framing of issues. In honor of this harmonious union, here are eight of the most tabloid-y things Morgan has ever said or done on his former show:

1) Ask gun rights activist Larry Pratt, "You’re an unbelievably stupid man, aren’t you?" 

In the wake of Sandy Hook massacre, Morgan, an outspoken gun control activist, made his position known in just about the loudest way possible:

2) Compare gun culture to "racist culture"

Morgan once compared American gun culture to the “racist culture” of the 1960s, to which guest Marc Lamont Hill responded, “That’s not fair, a Southern gun owner is not like a Klan member — I mean, come on.”

3) Ask Condoleezza Rice why she never married

Other burning Q's he hurled at her:

"How close have you come?"
"How many times?"
"Do you hold out hope?"
"Do you dream of a fairy tale wedding?"
"Are you romantic?"
"If I was going to woo you, how would I--"
"I couldn't imagine you being a subservient wife, I imagine you'd be quite tough."
"If you were cooking me a meal, what would you cook me?"

(Morgan has a general obsession with the question "Have you ever been in love?")

4) Tell another gun rights proponent: "I am going to keep talking, so I suggest you keep quiet."

The whole point of having a news show is to invite guests and steamroll them, right? (That wasn't a question so much as a statement employing rhetorical device. Of course it is).

5) Sit quietly during Alex Jones' rant that "1776 will come again if you try to take our firearms"

It was a doozy:

6) Force a guest to decide whether Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza's mother was a "good person" or a "bad person"

Morgan has a knack for alienating his own liberal base by asking questions that make conservatives like Ben Shapiro seem like rational people:

Morgan: Was Adam Lanza's mother a good person?

Shapiro: I don't know if she was a good person or a bad person. I know she was irresponsible with her guns.

7) Claim to be a "victim of cisphobia"

Morgan invited trans activist Janet Mock to discuss her book "Redefining Realness" and Mock's work. Unfortunately, Morgan's good intentions were marred by his ignorance on trans issues when he characterized Mock as someone who "used to be a boy." Mock complained, then Morgan had a meltdown on Twitter. He then invited her back to get angry with her for being ungrateful:

6) Be the subject of a White House petition to deport him from the country

Piers Morgan: I might deport myself if gun laws aren't fixed!
U.S. petition: Deport Piers Morgan to the U.K.
U.K. Petition: Keep Piers Morgan in the U.S.

Consensus: A great hire for the Daily Mail Online, and a great move for Piers Morgan.


By Prachi Gupta

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com.

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