JNS
The YouTube podcaster, who hosts antisemitic Holocaust revisionists, is facing a backlash for his sensationalism and rudeness.
Last Tuesday, English journalist Piers Morgan spent nearly 15 minutes of his YouTube talk show trying to prove he wasn't antisemitic.
The effort was prompted by criticism from Israeli Cabinet Minister Amichai Chikli, whose portfolio includes combating Jew-hatred.
Chikli had accused the "Piers Morgan Uncensored" show of taking a “sharp and troubling descent into overt antisemitism” by repeatedly platforming Holocaust deniers such as Candace Owens and Dan Bilzerian.
During the June 24 interview, Morgan characteristically shouted over Chikli, repeating, “When have I been antisemitic?” and misrepresenting Chikli’s original criticism as an attack on his person.
Several pro-Israel past guests have vowed to boycott the show, citing what they described as Morgan’s growing hostility toward Israel advocates.
“Piers Morgan doesn’t shed light on antisemitism—he profits from it,” Shai Davidai, a Columbia University professor known for his pro-Israel activism, wrote on X Saturday. A previous guest on Morgan’s show, Davidai announced that he will not return.
Others had reached the same conclusion, including Foreign Ministry Special Envoy Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, who hosts “The Quad” on JNS-TV, and who last month decided to no longer appear on Morgan's show.
Elica Le Bon, a British-Iranian non-Jewish Israel advocate, announced on Friday that she will never go back on, following a combative appearance the previous day. Former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy also told JNS he will not return, recommending that other Israel advocates not do so either.
“In the days after Oct. 7, 2023, Morgan’s coverage of Israel was fairly balanced,” Chikli told JNS. “But then he began platforming antisemitic kooks like Candace Owens, offering only mild pushback.”
Chikli said he had appeared on Morgan’s show to “expose this—and it looks like it worked.”
Chikli remained calm during the interview despite Morgan’s provocations—including being told to “grow a pair” and being called “pathetic.” When Morgan mockingly asked, “Are you being bullied?” Chikli replied, “Right now, yes.”
Chikli’s appearance followed Morgan’s June 4 interview with British lawyer Natasha Hausdorff, whom he wrongly insisted was an Israeli government representative. During the show, Morgan and comedian Dave Smith, a frequent critic of Israel who regularly appears on Morgan's and other popular shows, such as that of Joe Rogan, ganged up on Hausdorff, interrupting her around 60 times—far more than anti-Israel guests typically endure.
In a Spectator op-ed, Hausdorff recalled Morgan’s journalistic controversies, including his firing from the Daily Mirror in 2004 for defending fabricated photos. “Defending fake images in pursuit of a ‘good story’ is nothing new for Morgan,” she wrote, referencing his pushback during their interview when she cited Hamas propaganda in Gaza imagery.
Morgan, who has moved from legacy outlets such as CNN to start his own independent show in 2022, is emblematic of podcast media’s rise. But his following of 4 million subscribers is dwarfed by those of Rogan (20 million YouTube subscribers) and Tucker Carlson (16 million on X), who often feature conspiracy theorists and Holocaust revisionists, as well as ideological Israel-haters.
One of these popular podcasters is Owens, who has about 4 million followers on YouTube. She is especially committed to antisemitism, said Chikli.
On Friday, she returned to Morgan’s show to accuse Jews of promoting open borders for the United States while using that country to ensure border security for Israel. She blamed Jews for various societal ills—a pattern that has included claims about pedophilia and JFK’s assassination.
She also cited a 2018 quote by Jewish-American pundit Bari Weiss out of context, implying that Jews seek open borders for the United States while defending Israel’s own. Morgan offered no pushback on this. When Owens accused Israel of “imparting a Holocaust,” he said “OK” and moved on.
Le Bon, during her own appearance on Morgan's show, faced both the hostile Morgan and the anti-Israel Smith, who argued that Iran and Israel were morally equivalent. It was her final appearance, she later wrote. “The conversation was never intended to bring truth,” she said, calling Morgan’s format intentionally devoid of context.
Morgan responded on X: “Oh, come off it, Elica,” adding, “When it didn’t go as well as you hoped, you play the victim card?”
Levy also criticized Morgan on X, prompting Morgan to call him a “little twerp” and to say he had been fired as a government spokesperson in Israel for being too “too extreme.” In fact, Levy was dropped from his spokesperson role due to his involvement in anti-government protests in Israel—not because of extremism, as Morgan implied. Levy cited this as proof of Morgan’s superficial grasp of Middle Eastern politics.
“I advise all pro-Israel personalities to boycott his human freak show,” Levy told JNS. “Let Candace Owens, Cenk Uygur and Husam Zumlot shout at each other without a Jew in the middle,” he said, naming some other pillars of the anti-Israel podcasting world.
Not everyone agrees, however. Hen Mazzig, an Israeli commentator with 275,000 X followers, argued that Morgan is more provocateur than a bigot. “He’s a broadcaster trying to spark conversation and engagement,” Mazzig wrote. "If you fail to land your points, don’t blame the format. Learn and improve.”
Some see Morgan’s influence as minor compared to larger platforms.
Adam Levick, co-editor of CAMERA UK, warned that the affable Rogan can be more insidious than the cantankerous Morgan. Rogan has hosted Dave Smith, World War II revisionist Darryl Cooper (who claims Churchill was the aggressor in the war) and Ian Carroll, who said the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was part of a “Jewish organization.” In one interview, Rogan admitted, “You start thinking like your paranoid Jewish friends.”
“When you’re open to conspiracies,” Levick said, “you’ll inevitably be open to antisemitic conspiracy theorists—because those are the most popular ones.”
Despite the challenges of the new media landscape, “truth and moral clarity almost always prevail,” said Chikli. The Jewish people’s foremost advocates in the public domain have “seen through Morgan’s trick,” and Rogan is also getting pushback (most recently from author and journalist Douglas Murray, who in April came on Rogan’s show to challenge him and Smith on their perceived bias and amateurism in covering Israel).
“The rules have changed, but so have the opportunities, and now as before, we have very serious talent in our corner,” said Chikli.
