News

Piers Morgan hints that he will take on Joe Rogan with new project

Piers Morgan hints that he will take on Joe Rogan with new project
Piers Morgan recalls bizarre last phone call with Donald Trump
Lorraine

Piers Morgan indicated his ambition to take on Joe Rogan with his new project after turning down a "very generous" offer from Rupert Murdoch.

The 59-year-old broadcaster revealed he declined a £50m deal from Murdoch to stay at News UK. If he had accepted this offer it would have made him the UK's highest-paid journalist.

However Morgan ultimately turned it down as he plans to build a media empire of his own, and has taken ownership of his YouTube debate show Piers Morgan Uncensoredvia his company Wake Up Productions.

“It was a very good, mutually respectful conversation with Rupert and they were very generous with their offer. But I just wasn’t prepared to take a deal," Morgan told The i Paper of how the chat with Murdoch went.

"I wasn’t prepared to be a talent for hire anymore, I wanted ownership. I’m 60 in March and I want to run my own business."

Some of Morgan's role models in this space include former Fox News pundits Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson with the internet platforms they have built with millions of viewers, earning them big money.

Morgan also signalled that he would be open to launching a podcast in the "not-too-distant future" for "long-form interviews" to rival Joe Rogan.

Rogan has grown a platform of over 19 million subscribers to his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience and is credited for playing a key role in President Trump's reelection.

It is thought that the UFC commentator endorsing Trump and having him as a podcast guest boosted the young male vote in the recent US presidential election in November last year, as well as the influence of other popular podcasters such as Theo Von and Logan Paul who all attended Trump's inauguration this month.

Joe Rogan (2nd L) stands for a benediction after President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025Photo by SAUL LOEB/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

“It may be that Uncensored ends up a debate-led channel and I launch a podcast in the not-too-distant future for long-form interviews which is competing with someone like Joe Rogan. There are a lot of lucrative pathways for that," Morgan said.

Elsewhere, former Joe Rogan guest reveals the ‘most surprising thing’ about him, and there's one question Joe Rogan was told to 'never ask again'.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Conversation (0)