Piers Morgan says he identifies as woke and is far less controversial than people think

A “baffled” Piers Morgan has denied any of his views are controversial and hit back at critics who have labelled him racist.

Piers Morgan has shared where he reckons he sits on the political spectrum, his desire to see his kids fail and why his feelings about Meghan Markle aren’t racist, ahead of his show’s late-April debut Down Under.

The UK host discussed these topics and more – including why Twitter can be dangerous – in a chat with his Sky News colleague Paul Murray, which aired Monday night.

His new chat show Piers Morgan Uncensored will premiere here on Tuesday, April 26 at 9pm AEST on Sky News. It will also be broadcast in the UK and US.

If the suit fits ... Piers Morgan discussed his political views with Sky News colleague Paul Murray.

While Morgan is often described as “controversial” and “conservative” he told Murray he is far more open-minded than his reputation suggests.

“People say to me: ‘Why are you so controversial?’,” he told Murray.

“I go: ‘Which of my views do you actually find controversial? Give me an opinion I have, that is controversial.’

“I’m not racist. I’m not transphobic. I’m not homophobic. I’m not a sexist. I believe in equality for all and fairness for all. I actually identify as a feminist and, by the 60s definition, I identify as woke. But that’s no longer what woke means. So, I skew, if anything, slightly left, possibly.”

Morgan said it is baffling to be labelled a racist.

Royal ructions ... disagreement over Oprah Winfrey’s 2021 interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle caused a disgusted Piers Morgan to walk off the set of his then-job as host of UK show Good Morning Britain.

“I’ve campaigned against racial injustice for many years both in print and on television,” he said.

“It counts for nothing if they decide they want to call you a racist. I’ve never said anything racist, but because I didn’t believe Meghan Markle’s twaddle to Oprah Winfrey, that apparently made me a racist because of their skin colour.”

Morgan said cancel culture had “infested society”, with Twitter mobs bullying people into political correctness at the expense of free speech.

“I cheered when Netflix stood by Dave Chappelle, not because I necessarily agree with everything Dave Chappelle has ever said … but he’s a comedian,” he explained, referring to controvery around some of the US comic’s jokes about the LGBT community in a special for the streaming giant.

Free speech over political correctness ... that is Piers Morgan’s stance on issues like the Dave Chappelle controversy.

“I cheered when Spotify stood by Joe Rogan,’ he added, referring to the podcaster’s recent drubbing over Covid misinformation. “All he wants to do is learn. That’s supposed to be a good thing in life.

“None of us would survive this cancelled culture if it went back through everything you’ve ever said in life, mentality or process.”

Morgan said self-belief had been his greatest asset in life and that he had always told his kids: “Don’t be afraid to try and fail. I have learned more from failure.”

Originally published as Piers Morgan says he identifies as woke and is far less controversial than people think