CNN has confirmed it is pulling the plug on Piers Morgan, as falling ratings finally took their toll on a transatlantic talk show experiment that failed to connect with American primetime audiences.
Three years after the former Daily Mirror editor – famed in London for bouncing back from a series of scandals – took over from US broadcasting veteran Larry King, Morgan was told by CNN president Jeff Zucker it “was time for the show to end”.
A spokeswoman for the US network said recent disclosures that British police had interviewed Morgan over phone-hacking allegations were not a factor in his dismissal.
“The decision had nothing to do with the hacking interview – not at all,” said CNN’s Allison Gollust, who said the date of the final episode of Piers Morgan Live had yet to be determined.
Morgan, who lost his job at the Daily Mirror after publishing fake pictures of alleged British troop misconduct in Iraq, had built a reputation for campaigns on gun control while at CNN but was blamed for a steady slide in the show’s ratings since Larry King’s retirement.
He’s going back to the UK with his tail between his legs!
In a statement to the Guardian through his spokesperson, Morgan said that he was asked to attend an interview in early November by officers from Operation Weeting when he was next in the UK.
I wonder if he will be served a subpena to give his statements on illegally hacking voice mail accounts when he hits the tarmac in Heathrow.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Piers!
