Journalist and TV presenter Piers Morgan’s car-crash career has taken another lurch as his increasingly brash and unhinged criticism of Meghan Markle aroused an outraged public response and led to his parting company with ITV’s morning breakfast show. He said he didn’t believe her claims of mental health problems and in his post-exit tweet shared a quote by Winston Churchill – ‘Some people’s idea of free speech is that they are free to say what they like but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage’.
His past career (see wiki) as newspaper editor and then TV presenter has been a roller coaster ride of highs and then crunching lows when he was dismissed only to bounce back. Rupert Murdoch, his former boss at the News of the World, where he was editor described him as having “balls bigger than his brains”. His US TV presenter career evaporated when he refused to back down over his opposition to the lax gun laws and it slumped his ratings. He’s been right on many issues but is addicted to getting into fights with no sense of where to stop.
The Good Morning Britain breakfast show, which his presence over five years lifted from half a million viewers to three times that figure, may suffer more than he does. He has had lucrative offers from other broadcasters in recent years, found the very early starts gruelling, and doesn’t need the money. He owns the rights to his formats that are broadcast in the US, and is on a seven-figure salary for the Daily Mail group, where he writes several columns. His Twitter profile (7.8 million fans) contains the quote “One day you’re cock of the walk, the next a feather duster” attributed to his grandmother.
He did know Meghan briefly in her actress/influencer phase as she, no doubt, curried favour with a useful publicity promoter. But her engagement to Harry cut the connection which clearly rankled with him. When the Royal couple announced they were stepping down as working royals he accused them of being “grasping, selfish, scheming Kardashian-wannabes”.
He was born 30 March 1965, with his father dying when he was 11 months old and he was brought up by his mother and stepfather. He is, not surprisingly a Sun, Venus in Aries with Mercury also in Aries. Aries has that resilient, rubber-ball quality that bounces back from defeats to try, try, try again. As a sign it has guts, self-confidence, though isn’t always known for its tact, sensitivity or common sense. Where his troublemaking streak comes from is a volcanic collection of Mars, Uranus, Pluto in Virgo which opposes Saturn and a Pisces Moon. He does like a scrap, has extraordinary endurance and stubbornness, and holds grudges. His Mars is pumped up by rebellious Uranus, do-or-die-determined Pluto and resentful, short-tempered Saturn opposition Mars. He could start a punch up in an empty room.
His three Aries planets fall in Meghan’s 10th house so it would be a transactional career connection but they also square her Mars and oppose her Moon Saturn Jupiter so was never going to be a BFF bond. The relationship chart isn’t catastrophic though it is cool with a composite Venus opposition Saturn and a ‘disappointed’ Sun opposition Neptune. She would be a convenient hook for him in his attention-grabbing career – as he no doubt had been for her initially. It won’t get better in the next two years so he’s unlikely to give up his attacks with tr Neptune square the composite Saturn and Venus.
He’ll be OK this year with tr Pluto trine his Jupiter in Taurus though will run into more than a few hitches and glitches thereafter for three years.
His strongest Harmonic is his 11th which does give endurance, though it is a difficult number to live up to. The positive aspect of number 11 is idealistic and inspired imagination. The negative aspects are fanaticism and unreasonableness.
Morgan also recently experienced his nodal return on the Gem/Sadge axis. Too bad he chose to remain firmly seated on his south node Sagittarius high horse.
The clip of Piers Morgan storming out when his opinion get criticized by a co-host/anchor (not being in Britain, I’m not certain what Alex Beresford’s role there is) called him out on his opinion is probably one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever seen. I’ve deeply disliked Morgan ever since he was at “Celebrity Apprentice”. I don’t even know what ticked me off there, but it probably was an instance of talking down to a female co-competitor or something similar. Just pure pretension.
What has baffled me with his stance on Royal Family is how he has somehow positioned himself as the mouthpiece of The Queen or Prince Philip. He is, after all, the guy who left “News of The World” *completely on his own will* after they published photos then Countess Spencer, then wife of Diana’s brother Charles, leaving a rehab center. No matter how people feel Windsors feel about Spencers – and I’ve understood they actually appreciate especially Diana’s sisters – she was mother to cousins of 2nd and 3rd in line of succession at the time. So, no matter how much sucking up to Royals Piers does, it’s all for the show. He will be a pariah in those circles, forever.
Piers seems to be the typical ‘baby’ Aries type and they all get on my nerves because I have a Taurus sun.
They annoy me to no end with their temper tantrums and reckless behavior.
I don’t personally warm to his bully boy tactics and I just wish this sort of cruel, trumpian behaviour wasn’t so prevalent in the media. The rage-fuelled obsession with Markle is quite disturbing to me.
That his chart is a host of oppositions doesn’t surprise me though. I’ve known individuals with that particular Mars/Uranus/Pluto conjunction opposition Saturn in either late Aquarius or Pisces and it’s a difficult energy – a great deal of rage bubbling very close to the surface, ever threatening to boil over and with the person that I knew, self-sabotage and self-destructiveness – it’s telling that Johnny Depp has this signature too.
Speaking of trumpian behaviour, he was also friends with Donald, wasn’t he? Very questionable friendships. I think they reflect Piers quite nicely. All three are social climbers. I’ve never liked the guy.
Slagging Meghan off before spitting his dummy out and storming off set while live on air has all the hallmarks of typical male self-entitlement; she HAS to answer to him on some level. She isn’t, and he is FURIOUS! I’ve seen it so many times in normal everyday life. Shame on him. However, he’s a man and men like this can get away with such public behaviour regularly. In todays right-wing, narcissistic, cruel environment, he’s the poster child of tomorrow.
Piers Morgan will do just fine out of this disgusting display of childishness. The unstability of his mood swings and ideology is what brought viewers in at GMTV in their droves. That is the tragedy. If Katie Hopkins lead that show, I can only imagine the ratings going down the toilet. Same, if his co-presenter Susanne Reid had a hissy-fit or went on at people the way he did. I’m absolutely sick to the back teeth of guys like this having a platform to inflate their already ugly, over-sized egos for furter validation and teaching other men this is the way to be with people. When is it ever going to stop?
@Jo, yes, Piers wan the first season of “Celebrity Apprentice” back in the day I actually still watched it, and returned as a guest judge a couple of times. I remember the editing majorly played up his Britishness. The show also effectively launched his short lived US Career as a CNN host, but ultimately, I think he was too “Tory” for CNN’s Centrist to Liberal viewership.
It’s typical Morgan behaviour – stonewalling the one person in the studio who called him out on his relentless attacks, followed of course by the DARVO, claiming he’s a victim of cancel culture followed by the bully’s indignation at being exposed. He’s not cancelled ffs – he’s got his Twitter and Daily Mail column to vent his spleen, and will not be short of a few job offers since he has his followers. My God, there’s an awful lot of angry men (and women of course) who are of this generation, it seems. I can think of quite a few well-known ones off the top of my head.
I agree his obsession with Meghan is disturbing. Anyone would think he had a massive crush on her, and is enraged by being blocked/dropped or whatever is the actual truth of the situation. His general demeanour in interviews with women I’ve seen on tv is often rather creepy, swinging between oily flirtation and aggressive pursuit (disguised as banter) of things they would rather not discuss.
I noticed that currently transiting Ceres is conjunct Chiron in Aries at 7 degrees. This is conjunct the UK 1801 ascendant, and is just two degrees from Morgan’s Sun in Aries. Morgan has been incredibly lucky in his career, and does have some talent, plus astonishing levels of confidence. He has also seemingly plugged into part of the British psyche in some way. Possibly the arrival of Ceres and Chiron may spark – at the very least – some serious reflection about where we are now in the UK. And where somebody like Piers Morgan, and others, fit in.
I know not everyone will agree with me, but I think the level of hounding MM has received from the Daily Mail in particular has been dreadful and pitiless. Kate had it bad and it was vicious to her too – it’s not acceptable – a nasty rag and full to the brim of misogyny. Lowest common denominator behaviour is seen as ‘good entertainment’ because it gets the clicks. Well, the Roman Colosseum would have got the clicks too – is this how we measure things now?
There used to be clip of Morgan in the US being an utter —— to a younger woman of colour, bullying and subjecting her to an onslaught of verbal abuse. In February a letter was signed by 1,200 employees at ITV alleging bullying – they can’t all be wrong. He’s a thug pure and simple.
Yes, it is the lowest common denominator that seems to prevail. I had always found the thumbs up, thumbs down symbol on FB unpleasant – symbol of Roman emperors at the games, and somehow connecting to Zuckerberg’s own Ancient Roman emperor obsession. However, there is something in human nature that expresses itself in this primitive way. Media of every kind allows that to reach a wide audience. Look at the 18th century cartoons of royalty, for example. Unbelievable! Or consider that Queen Victoria’s choice of a new kind of pain relief in childbirth was actually discussed in the House of Commons. And criticised by some in the most appalling manner. As was her grief and long depression following the death of Albert, her friendship with John Browne, and her enduring fondness for her Indian manservant and friend.
It would be nice to think we could do better. There is work to be done, that’s for sure.
I do wonder what Morgan’s wife makes of his too obvious obsession with Meghan? No doubt Morgan will turn up on one of the right wing stations being created in the UK.
His wife is Celia Walden a journalist with the Daily Telegraph. Her view of Meghan and Harry is pretty similar judging by some of her articles.