Joe Rogan's JRE podcast under threat from Piers Morgan as $62,000,000 offer rejected

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.

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."

Piers Morgan plans to build his own media empire to compete with Joe Rogan. Image: Getty

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.