Only a quarter of Americans like Piers Morgan, with Republicans in particular viewing the British talking head negatively
Piers Morgan has lost his primetime CNN slot, as falling ratings and a persistent sense that he never quite won the hearts of the US viewing public put paid to his dreams of making it in America. Piers Morgan began his time at CNN with great fanfare three years ago, replacing old favorite Larry King and quickly made a name for himself as an opinionated commentator who isn't afraid of courting controversy.
After the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 – in which a 20 year old fatally shot 20 children and six staff – his calls for strict regulation of guns in the United States prompted calls among certain conservatives for him to be deported back to Britain. Piers Morgan himself has said that being foreign has made his job as a commentator much more difficult, and the New York Times said that he often resembled "King George III, peering down his nose at the unruly colonies".
According to the latest research from YouGov, CNN is right to worry about his popularity. Only 24% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Piers Morgan. Republicans in particular seem to dislike him, with 63% saying that they have unfavorable opinions of him and only 13% having favorable opinions. Democrats are a bit more likely to like (35%) than dislike (21%) Piers Morgan.
Asking people with unfavorable views of Piers Morgan why they dislike him, the most common answer, chosen by 31% of people, is that he is 'arrogant'. The second most common answer (20%) is his anti-gun politics, followed by the fact he is a foreigner talking about American politics and the perception that his is too left-wing (both of which chosen by 19% of Americans who dislike him).
His hopes to move into a role where he does occasional, major interviews may not be dashed however as only 15% complain about his interview technique.
Full poll results can be found here.
Image: Getty
