Piers Morgan is leaving Rupert Murdoch's News UK and will have his show air exclusively on YouTube as he plans to compete with Joe Rogan.
Morgan rejected a whopping $62 million (£50 million) offer from Murdoch to maintain outright control of his show 'Piers Morgan Uncensored' and will go head-to-head with Rogan's 'Joe Rogan Experience' podcast and others by pushing forward alone.
If he had accepted the deal, then it would have made him the UK's highest-paid journalist.
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The British broadcaster had a 'respectful' conversation with Murdoch, who tabled a 'generous' offer which was ultimately turned down.
"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," he explained.
Morgan added: "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.
"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. I’ve got the firepower and the social media numbers. I’ve got nothing to lose."
Morgan, who made his breakthrough in journalism at The Sun - owned by Murdoch, has hosted his show from 2022 to 2024.
Several high-profile guests have appeared on his show as well as big-name sporting stars, including former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who sat down with the 59-year-old for a wide-ranging interview.
Morgan has also had interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and boxing star Conor Benn on his platform.
The veteran reporter has a huge social media following as he hopes to build his own media empire to rival Rogan's popular podcast.
Topics: Joe Rogan
Nasir Jabbar