Media personality Piers Morgan launched a sharp response to conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on Thursday, accusing the Daily Wire co-founder of refusing to tolerate criticism of the Israeli government as the two engaged in a heated exchange on social media.
The dispute erupted after Shapiro blasted Morgan’s show and compared the host to a controversial figure in daytime television.
Shapiro referred to Morgan as “the Jerry Springer of political television,” accusing him of undermining the industry by platforming fringe voices.
“You’ve made a mockery of the entire industry by putting on screen whatever dregs are still willing to go on,” Shapiro said in his criticism of Morgan’s program.
The comments appeared to be directed in part at Morgan’s decision to host comedian and prominent Israel critic Dave Smith in several panel discussions on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Morgan quickly responded in a series of posts on the social media platform X, pushing back against Shapiro’s remarks and suggesting the criticism stemmed from disagreements over Israel.
“If people are curious why @benshapiro has suddenly turned on me, this may explain it,” Morgan wrote. “The guy just can’t take anyone criticising Israel’s govt.”
Morgan also linked to a clip from January in which he complained that Shapiro had stopped appearing on his show after Morgan began expressing more critical views about Israel’s government.
According to Morgan, their relationship changed after his coverage of the ongoing war in Gaza became more critical of Israeli leadership.
Morgan did not shy away from Shapiro’s comparison to Jerry Springer, instead embracing it.
“As for @benshapiro mocking me as ‘the new Jerry Springer,’ I take that as a great compliment,” Morgan wrote. “Jerry was a great friend of mine, one of the most successful stars in entertainment history, and unlike ‘Comical Ali’ Ben, he believed passionately in free speech.”
Morgan also defended his willingness to criticize governments, arguing that doing so should not automatically lead to accusations of anti-Semitism.
“I criticise all governments, especially my own,” Morgan wrote in another post. “I just don’t understand why I can’t criticise Israel’s govt without being branded anti-Semitic or having the likes of @benshapiro throwing their petulant toys out of the stroller. It’s absurd.”
The media host said Shapiro had once been a frequent guest on his program but stopped appearing after Morgan’s commentary about Israel shifted.
“Ben was a regular guest on @PiersUncensored,” Morgan wrote. “But from the moment I became more critical of the Israeli Govt for its conduct in the war in Gaza, he stopped coming on, stopped replying to my texts, and now publicly attacks my show.”
The latest dispute is just the newest chapter in a long-running and often combative relationship between the two media figures.
Morgan and Shapiro have sparred publicly for more than a decade, dating back to a fiery appearance by Shapiro on Morgan’s CNN program Piers Morgan Live in 2013.
During that interview, the two men clashed in a heated debate over gun control. At one point, Shapiro accused Morgan of “standing on the graves of the children of Sandy Hook,” a moment that quickly went viral and helped elevate Shapiro’s profile in conservative media circles.
Shapiro returned to Morgan’s program a few months later, where he again clashed with the host and accused him of harboring anti-American views.
The two also crossed paths again in 2024 when Morgan pressed Shapiro about remarks he had made regarding an American protester who was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer.
When Morgan asked whether he had any regrets about describing her as one of the “great idiots of history,” Shapiro responded that he did not.
“Not particularly,” Shapiro said at the time.
“Her death was tragic, but that doesn’t mean that she wasn’t engaged in deep foolishness,” he continued. “There are many members of the West who, unfortunately, do act as useful idiots for terror groups.”
Shapiro added that the woman’s death was a “tragic accident,” while also maintaining his criticism of her actions.
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