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May 4, 2022 - Uncensored - Piers Morgan
45:27
20220504_piers-morgan-uncensored-dave-chapelle-attack
Transcriber: nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v2, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo
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Free Speech Under Assault 00:07:22
Good evening, I'm Piers Morgan, Uncensored.
Tonight, a free speech-defending comedian is attacked on stage.
Putin's war reaches space and shirking from home.
Is it time for work-shy wastrels to get off the couch and get back to the office?
But first, my brain dub.
When a comedian's joke doesn't land, they call it dying on stage.
But in today's world, it seems like that phrase could soon become all too real.
Last night, at a Netflix gig at the Hollywood Bowl in LA, Dave Chappelle, the streaming company's biggest comedy star, was violently attacked by a man with a replica gun as he went about his job telling jokes.
Make some noise for your pub history.
Yes, we seemingly now live in a world where a comedian delivering punchlines is seen as an open invitation to get punched.
Chris Rock, who always seems to be around when these things happen, doesn't he, came to Chappelle's rescue in the aftermath, recalling his own encounter with stage violence at the Oscars.
Was that Will Smith?
Well, it wasn't Will Smith.
A lot of people are drawing a connection between the two incidents, and I can see why, but here's the big difference to me.
The Will Smith slap was basically an A-list version of a bloke punching another bloke in the pub for insulting his wife.
It wasn't the right thing to do, but in the heat of the moment, we've all done crazy things for love.
The fact is, they knew each other, they had a history, it was personal.
The deeply troubling thing about the attack on Dave Chappelle is it seems to have been political.
We don't know yet the exact motives for the attack, but we do know that Chappelle's been threatened repeatedly for his supposedly controversial jokes.
He's had a long and successful career dissecting issues like race and sexual politics in America.
But his biggest fearless comedy takedowns are the more extreme trans activists on his recent Netflix specials that have made him a target for threats of violence and left him fearing for his family's safety.
Now, I've called Netflix wet flicks for its increasingly woke content of late, but in the case of Chappelle, I applaud them for standing by their guy in the face of staff walkouts aimed at getting him cancelled for saying things like gender is a fact.
These militant misanthropes claim that Chappelle's edgy comedy is violence, but it's not.
It's free speech.
Violence is actual violence, as we saw last night.
And these are dangerous times for comedians and for comedy if they can't go about their business being funny without fearing for their lives.
Now an urgent trigger warning for college and university students.
As I made clear when we launch this show, Piers Morgan Uncensored is a free speech event.
After the next hour, you may encounter opinions you don't agree with.
It might have already happened.
You might be watching me now and vehemently disagreeing with me.
Well, guess what?
That's the real world.
So get used to it.
There is a brutal censorship gripping our colleges and universities.
It's an even more serious assault on free speech than what's happening to comedians.
This week, the New York Post reported of five professors who've been attacked by the cancelled culture mob due to complaints from students.
One philosophy professor was barred from teaching his course after students complained about him using offensive language in a course about the use of offensive language.
Think about that.
This is how ridiculous it's all getting.
I applaud those professors for speaking out, at greater risk again to their careers.
But what kind of kids are we raising through our colleges if they're only allowed to hear one opinion?
These aren't isolated cases.
It's a global sensitivity scourge caused by simpering snowflake students who think they're entitled to their opinions and they can silence, shame and cancel anyone who has opinions that don't conform to their narrow woke worldview.
A staggering 591 professors in the US have reported retaliation in recent years for expressing their views.
And we see over and over again with invariably conservative or feminist speakers being banned for speaking at colleges because the students don't agree with them.
All these people you're seeing here have at some stage been deplatformed.
At Oxford, at Cambridge, at King's College London, the University of Sydney, Stanford, Yale, Harvard, even Berkeley, once home to the most famous free speech movement in the world, they've all cancelled speakers over protests by their students.
When did the brightest and best turn into the wettest and the wokest?
Colleges and universities are supposed to be a breeding ground for intellectuals, the place where great ideas are seeded, where genius flourishes, where discussion tests and stretches the boundaries of human understanding.
Debates shouldn't come with a helpline.
If you get to the end of higher education and you haven't heard an idea you didn't already agree with, you've wasted your time and money.
That's the whole point of going there.
So sorry, Snowflake students.
The world's a tough, challenging place.
Campus isn't supposed to be a safe space from ideas.
It's supposed to be a safe space for ideas.
So get used to it, get debating and grow up.
And from freedom of speech to freedom of movement, the British government is failing horribly to tackle the deadly and desperately sad surge in migrants reaching the country by boat.
More than 7,000 people have sailed illegally to the UK this year alone.
That's more than triple the number by this time last year.
Many of them are being trafficked by vile people smuggling gangs who extort the migrants and then send them to risk their lives in perilous dinghies.
Dozens have tragically died on these crossings.
It's dangerous, it's wrong and it has to stop.
But the government's plan to spend £120 million flying thousands of migrants on a one-way ticket to Rwanda is ridiculous and inhuman.
Migrants who make it to Rwanda, if any of them end up actually doing so, will either be offered permanent residency there or sent back to where they came from.
None, even if they qualify to be asylum seekers in the UK, will ever end up in the United Kingdom.
The plan's already collapsing into fast.
There have been six legal challenges and the first flights are now months away at best.
And I'm not surprised.
The UK government has itself criticised Rwanda's human rights record.
The migrant crossings are a crisis which has got to be fixed.
We can all agree on that.
But this Rwanda fiasco smacks of headline grabbing tokenism.
It's unfeasible, it's unfair, it's unworkable.
And by denying real asylum seekers help, it's not British.
It's supposed to be a deterrent, but it clearly isn't working.
But perhaps there is a simpler way to resolve this.
There is currently a deeply unpleasant, highly treacherous shark patrolling the waters of the English Channel.
So the French naval vessel is now a long way inside English waters.
Don't they know?
It's Brexit Britney videos.
You can see it.
I say we keep Nigel Farage out there on his little yellow dinghy.
That should be enough to put anybody off coming into the United Kingdom.
Now there are plenty of reasons why some people still prefer to work from home.
Maybe you have a long boring commute, which is a waste of your time and money.
Perhaps you don't want to squander a fortune on dodgy sandwiches and frothy coffees with silly names.
Maybe your colleagues are incredibly irritating.
We can all relate to that.
Physical Force Against Comedy 00:09:01
But according to employees at Apple, working from the office also makes you a sexist and racist, obviously.
76% of Apple workers said in an anonymous survey that they're unhappy with the company's return to work policy.
And a group of disgruntled staffers have now written a long letter to bosses about it, saying that the tech giant is favoring privileged staff by demanding they come back to work, declaring the shift back will make the company whiter and more male-dominated.
They also said the requirement to actually turn up for work was being driven by the company's fear of the future of work.
Well, I'm sorry, I think it's pretty clear who has got the fear of work in the future here.
It's these pathetic, spineless employees at Apple.
Of course they want to stay working at home.
It means they can slop around on their sofas, swigging their kale lattes, munching their quinoa salads, smashing their avocados, killing billions of bees.
Search social media for things to be offended by.
You're not saving the planet, wokies, or smashing the patriarchy.
You're just lazy, work-shy wastrels.
Get back to work.
Well, comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage last night in Los Angeles.
It's a horrendous example of how comedy is coming under threat to the point that performers are literally now in fear of their lives.
Joining me now is wrestling superstar and TV host Tyrus, whose new book, Just Tyrus, is storming the charts, Taurus, and a cracking read, along with stand-up British comedian Dame Baptiste.
Welcome to both of you.
Taurus, let me start with you.
We saw what happened at the Oscars, and in a way, I could see how that happened because there was history between Chris Rock and Will Smith.
Will Smith, I think, misconstrued that Chris Rock was deliberately taunting his wife about her medical condition and so on.
It's a bar and brawl that goes on up and down the country all the time.
This is much more sinister, it seems to me, because whoever did this to Dave Chappelle, whoever did this to Dave Chappelle, I think probably doesn't know him, probably is reacting to all the debate about his comedy, about his jokes about the trans community.
And that to me is on a different level.
What's your view?
No, and I rarely disagree with you about anything, but no, the thing that happened to Chris Rock was just as worse if, and it was the dinner belt.
Because when Will Smith did that, he, being who he is in the position he is, he just said, hey, this is what you do when you don't like what they say.
Because he had no consequences.
He wasn't dragged off by security and thrown out and embarrassed and humiliated.
He literally went back to his seat and then talked more trash.
So when people see this, especially the lower end of our society, and they're thinking, how can I, that guy didn't go to the comedy show and he wasn't sitting there going, and then he heard a joke that he was so offended that he jumped up and he went there premeditated.
He had a weapon.
He was there because two things were going to happen.
One, he was going to get a lot of attention.
He was going to be on the news and he'd be able to say whatever political thing he wanted to say and how comedy is this and that.
The only thing he didn't count on was that Dave Chappelle works out.
He's shredded like a Julian salad.
He hangs out with Buster Rhimes, who's like a biscuit away from 300 pounds.
And he's got a really serious security team.
As Snoop's former bodyguard, I had a very same similar situation.
And I left the guy just as twisted.
So he got some real life consequences.
So hopefully all the woke that see that we can make a statement by going after comedians, they'll think twice because this is what happens in the real world.
Well, you know what, Torres?
What side of that is?
I'll say, Taurus, you've actually made me think twice by what you just said.
You've made me rethink what I think about the Will Smith-Chris Rock thing.
Because I was a little bit not defensive of Will Smith, but I was understanding.
But in terms of the precedent that it's set, I think you make a very good point.
That guy may well have been inspired by what's happened at the Oscars, and that may well now be parroted across America and other countries.
Let me bring in Dane Baptiste.
Dane, you're a stand-up comedian.
You perform in front of audience all the time.
They can get raucous.
They can get noisy.
They can get hecklers.
But when you see somebody of Dave Chappelle's statue, I think he's one of the great comedians in the world today, if not of all time.
When you see someone like him attacked by somebody with a replica gun which had a spring-up knife in it, and literally could have killed him.
What made you think about that?
What's your view about that?
What happens now next time you go out in front of an audience?
I mean, whatever happens to me will remain exactly the same, Piers.
If someone crosses the boundary of approaching me on stage, it no longer is the paradigm of a comedian and audience.
What you're dealing with then is a potential belligerent or assailant and me as a civilian having the right to defend myself.
With that being said, I am not somebody who is adverse to the plight of the trans community or the transgender community.
But at the same time, I think anyone who has taken the time to build context of Dave Chappelle and his narrative will understand that he has made it a point of principle, artistic principle, to hold America and the Western civilization under a microscope and examine various groups.
And I think he does that from the position of fool.
So it's very worrying that people will resort to violence, especially with deadly weapons.
And again, I am pain to, but I do agree with yourself and Tyrus in terms of the fact that this may be a precedent that's been set by Will Smith's actions, which has encouraged people to believe that they are able to use physical force in order to quell a narrative they don't necessarily agree with.
And I think it's probably the most extreme and potentially most lethal form of censorship that exists in our society.
With that being said, I want to thank you for unblocking me on Twitter as well.
It was quite funny, actually.
I'm doing a show called Piers Morgan Uncensored.
And Dane, before he came on, pointed out to our producers, I blocked him on Twitter.
So I had to un-cancel you, Dane, which is what we do on this show.
You're not formally uncanceled.
We're back in Twitter love with each other.
Let me bring Taris back in.
Taris, we've seen some weird stuff going on.
We saw the Chris Rock thing.
We saw this thing last night with Dave Chappelle.
We also saw random strangers on planes baiting Mike Tyson.
Do you think it happened again yesterday with somebody else with Mike Tyson?
What is going on here?
Are people just going slightly mad because of a pandemic, because of other issues?
Do you feel there's a rising tension amongst the populace or am I overthinking it?
No, you're not overthinking it, but you're giving them too much credit.
This comes down to fame seeking, attention seeking, and whatever message they want to get out.
It's just like, here's the thing, with the thing with Dave Chappelle, real quickly, groups are coming out saying this is what happens when you use words that hurt people's feelings.
So it was Dave Chappelle's fault.
It was like basically saying, how were you dressed when he attacked you?
Instead of owning the fact that there is never a good reason, if someone says something you don't like, you never get it.
There's no ever reason to put hands on him.
You just don't watch him anymore.
The thing with Mike Tyson is the guy who got into it with Mike Tyson got spread.
He goes all over the world.
His Twitter is up.
He's getting all kinds of attention.
So, you know, they're targeting celebrities, especially looks like they're targeting black celebrities, like, brothers, we're getting targeted because anything we do to them, they end up being the victim.
Yeah, but Dane, in terms of comedy itself, is there a line?
You know, people say to me, well, Piers Morgan uncensored, is there a line you won't cross on the show?
Are there things guests could say?
Are there jokes they could tell which would cross a line?
I think there is a line.
I don't think anything is acceptable.
You incite, you know, death threats against people if you incite violence against people.
I think that crosses a line.
But as a comedian, you know, you reference there, Dave Chappelle's material about the trans community.
I don't think he does it from a place of hate at all.
I don't think he's transphobic.
I think he's talking about issues that have been raised very publicly in the trans world, which I think should be openly debated.
But, you know, are you suggesting that in some way when you say that, that there are things that are off limits in terms of topics rather than direct threats of violence?
I don't think there should be any topic that's necessarily off the table for a comedian, but I think it's important for people to remember that as a comedian, you are taking the position, arguably, of a fool, so to speak.
And so, and as an artist, your work is always dynamic.
So, even if Dave Chappelle does make a statement that does appear to be incendiary towards a particular minority group, that doesn't necessarily mean that he's condemning them or he's ratifying any violence or marginalization of said group.
He is always open to be able to go back and revisit his material with the more knowledge and information he receives from that particular group.
But I think the problem is that we are now living in a time where the bipartisan political spectrum has failed us, and we're not able to find ideologues and politicians that we can necessarily trust.
There's a lot of duplicity amongst that.
So, people look to other people with platforms.
And unfortunately, as a result of which, because comedians and comedy as an art form does tend to feature as an honest form of politics, it means that we are now being singled out as a focal point for anybody's kind of angst or issues.
Taurus, I think I'll let you go without giving you a plug for your book, which is roaring up the charts on Amazon.
I saw your tweet today.
Marilyn's Dress and Ego 00:09:23
Congratulations on that.
Very quickly, what's the title of the book and what's it about?
The name of the book is Jess Tyrus, a memoir, and it's just basically about all the jobs I've had and been fired from.
So, it's a lot of stories of how you take failure and you turn it into something else and how you transition from one to the other.
And, you know, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Well, it's storming the charts.
I can't wait to read it.
Great to have you on the show.
Thank you very much, Taurus.
Always a pleasure, sir.
It's an honor and a blessing.
The honor's mine.
And thank you also to Dave Baptiste.
Thank you for having me, Piers.
Uncensored next is Kim Kardashian destroying Marilyn Monroe's legacy by desecrating her dress.
I'll be speaking to two of the world's most famous Marilyn impersonators.
One thinks she is, and one thinks she isn't.
That's coming up next.
Welcome back to Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Fans of Marilyn Monroe have slammed Kim Kardashian by wearing her iconic happy birthday, Mr. President, dress on the Met Gala red carpet in New York.
Footage released overnight shows relative stars struggling to get into the dress.
In fact, the fragile gown, worth $5 million, had to be left unzipped because it wouldn't fit Miss Kardashian's expansive derier.
And there are fears that she may have irreparably damaged the dress.
All for an ego boost and a photo op.
And let me remind you of the moment Marilyn wowed the world in that dress in 1962.
Happy birthday, Mr. President.
Happy birthday to you.
That's Marilyn singing, of course, to President John F. Kennedy.
One of the most famous moments in history, really.
I'm joined now by not one, but two Marilyn Monroe empersonators.
One is Heather Chaney, who performs in Las Vegas, and Susie Kennedy, based here in the UK.
Both looking fabulous, ladies, if I may say so.
So good evening to both of you.
Thank you.
Let me start with you, Heather, because you don't agree with me, do you?
You think that actually this reality billionaire bimbo, Kim Kardashian, tarnishing Marilyn's memory in this disgraceful manner is good.
Explain to me why.
I think it's good because it's bringing Marilyn back to light for the younger generations that don't know her.
I mean, whether or not I agree that Kim Kardashian being the person to do that for this particular dress, it's a whole nother story.
But it is, we're talking about it.
We're here.
We're debating it.
We're talking it.
So it is bringing Marilyn's memory into fruition.
And the dress is beautiful.
And the more people see it, the better.
You see, I think when I see you two ladies, when I see you both dressed as Marilyn, you look fabulous.
You look like you're paying a lovely tribute to Marilyn Monroe.
And it's the spirit of her that you're representing, which I can totally get and appreciate and respect.
But, you know, Susie, when I see Kim Kardashian, a reality star, you know, basically nicking Marilyn's dress.
And even worse, then got presented by the museum which lent him the dress.
They gave her a bit of Marilyn's hair.
Look at Miss Plip.
I know.
It's crazy, Pierce.
It's good to see you again, by the way.
Wait one sec, Susie.
I want to play the clip first.
This is her actually getting Marilyn's hair.
That is Marilyn's hair.
Oh my God, I'm literally going to do some crazy voodoo that I like.
And I channel her.
This is so special to me.
Thank you so much.
I mean, I'm sorry, Susie, what is Kim Kardashian doing with Marilyn Monroe's hair?
Right?
Is she going to do some voodoo stuff with it and channel her?
She couldn't channel Marilyn Monroe.
Marilyn Monroe was one of the great goddesses of Hollywood history.
Not someone who got her kit off on some sex tape with her boyfriend.
That's ridiculous.
I mean, who would say that?
I mean, Marilyn Monroe died tragically at 36.
To say you're going to get her hair and do crazy voodoo with it is just the height of disrespect.
She said she respects her, but you know, you pulled that dress that didn't fit you.
I've worn Marilyn Monroe's real dresses, her costumes that were worn on studios and sets.
The happy birthday dress was so personal to Marilyn.
It was her moment.
And Marilyn's lost everything.
She lost her childhood.
She lost her loves.
She lost her life.
That one dress, that iconic moment, was so Marilyn.
And it's been now stolen.
And I remember Kim Kardashian's dad was part of the OJ Simpson team that said, if the glove don't fit, you must acquit.
Well, Kim, the dress didn't fit, so quit.
So good.
I mean, look, Heather, I've got to say, I'm with Susie on this because when I see her trying to bust her way into that dress, she clearly doesn't fit it.
And that's despite, we're going to play a clip now of Kim Kardashian talking about trying on the dress and realizing it doesn't even fit.
Let's listen to this.
They came with like armed guards and gloves, and I tried it on and it didn't fit me.
And so I looked at them and I said, give me like three weeks.
And I had to lose 16 pounds down today to be able to fit this.
But it was such a challenge.
It was like a role.
I was determined to win.
You're getting permanent.
Yeah, I was determined to win it.
Sorry, what does she mean a role?
She's not an actress.
Marilyn Monroe was a goddess of the silver screen.
Kim Kardashian is a reality TV star.
A role.
What's she talking about, Heather?
Listen, in real, Marilyn was actually sewn into the dress, so I find it not surprising that they had to do it for Kim K.
And I myself, I have no idea how she got the back end of her in the dress.
Well, she didn't.
She didn't, Heather.
That's the point.
She couldn't.
Technically, she didn't.
So they left it open and then covered it up, apparently.
Yes, apparently.
I haven't seen all the footage as of yet.
It's very unsightly, and in my view, very demeaning to the legacy and memory of Marilyn Monroe.
That's my point.
Exactly.
But I come from a place of like working in a theme park.
I've seen people roaming through over and over with images of Marilyn that are frankly far worse with like the skull face.
I mean, the images of Marilyn have been tarnished for years.
And this is just, this is a little different because it's bigger in the spotlight because it's the infamous happy birthday dress.
But somebody, you know, tarnishing the image of marriage is not first for that.
I don't really agree.
But Susie, final word to you quickly.
It's just ridiculous.
And the sad thing is now is that Marilyn Monroe had a moment in history and Kim Kardashian has clung on to that.
And you're right, Pierre, she's not an actress.
She's a reality star.
And I think it's a very sad day for that dress.
It's tarnished now and it's been hijacked like a Mark Chapman hijacked John Lennon.
I'm here in Liverpool and that dress was Marilyn's and it'll ever be the Marilyn Kim Kardashian dress and that's a really sad day for what?
You know, Kim had her own thing.
Do your own thing.
I'm the impersonator.
I don't have to do my own thing.
That's what I do.
Kim was different.
She could have made her moment instead of trying to steal it.
I agree with you.
Can I leave though with the pair of you just saying happy birthday, Mr. President, to me in Marilyn Voice?
Happy birthday, Mr. Morgan.
Happy birthday to you.
Heather.
Oh, you want me to go?
Yeah, go on.
Happy birthday.
He's loving this today.
To you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday, little P. Happy birthday to you.
Fabulous.
Now that is the spirit of Marilyn Monroe.
Thank you, ladies.
Heather, Susie, really appreciate it.
Keep doing your great work, living up to the image and memory of the great Marilyn.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
That's it.
Thank you.
Now there's no direct link to wedding proposals here, although I can't say it's not on my mind after that.
But wedding proposals often go viral with emotional scenes of couples embracing and applause by onlookers.
But a video of a man reposing in Johannesburg in South Africa caught my eye for rather different reasons.
The man who has, for his sake, fortunately remained nameless, did get a ring and got on bended knee.
But his choice of location for the big moment left a lot to be romantically desired.
It was the checkout at McDonald's.
And it went about as well as I could have predicted.
There was one consolation.
It ended on one happy note because this guy left with a trolley load of Big Macs.
And personally speaking, I think that's the result.
Workplace Abuse Consequences 00:12:58
Well, billionaire Elon Musk has vowed to get rid of the trolls that pollute Twitter as part of his takeover.
It can't come soon enough.
The Sky News Australia host Erin Molin has suffered vile abuse online and lobbied the Australian government to make it a criminal offence.
I'll speak to her live in a moment.
But first, let's hear what Elon Musk had to say.
The goal that I have, should that everything come to fruition with Twitter, is to have a service that is as broadly inclusive as possible.
I've also vowed this publicly, that we have to get rid of the bots and trolls and the scams and everything.
So I'm definitely on the warpath.
Well, Erin Mullen joins me now.
Now, Erin, I think we both agree.
We talked about this the other day, that Elon Musk is probably a breath of fresh air for Twitter, albeit with some caveats, and we'll see how he handles those caveats.
But his desire to rid the kind of pollution that we see all the time on Twitter is an honourable one.
But how is it actually going to work?
And you can talk about this from personal experience because you've waged this very successful and I think brilliant campaign in Australia to try and work out where that line is between acceptable and unacceptable.
Before I speak to you, I'm just going to show on the screen here.
These are some of the things that you've had to endure.
Some of the tweets that you've been sent.
Absolutely, some of it just personal abuse.
Some of it threatening.
Some of it absolutely disgusting comments about your baby when you were pregnant and so on.
None of this should be acceptable for a woman in a high-profile position like you.
So tell me about what impact those tweets had on you and what it made you resolve to do.
Thank you so much for having me, Piers, again.
And particularly on this issue, it's one I'm really passionate about.
And I guess for me, initially, it was something I just accepted as being part and parcel of being in the public eye.
And for those of your audience who are overseas, I've hosted rugby league here in Australia for over 10 years.
So it's a very high-profile sport.
I'd like to say the number one sport in the country, if not the world.
It's a tough working class sport.
And there weren't a lot of women as part of the coverage when I came in.
And it created a real storm.
And what really struck me initially was not that the commentary was that I didn't know what I was talking about or that I'd got things wrong.
It was vile, threatening what I looked like, the fact that I was a woman, threats against my life, which is just ridiculous.
But for years and years, I just went, well, that's just part and parcel.
And then one day I went, actually, no, there are upsides to my job, there are downsides, but regardless of what you do, nobody should ever be subjected to anything online that makes you fear for your life in the real world.
I'm one person.
When my daughter comes into it, that's when I say, okay, now we've got to fight.
And you know better than anyone, you pick your fights in this world.
Some things you think, you know what, too hard basket, you move on.
But this for me was about making them accountable.
It was about holding people that had never been held to account to account.
If there are no laws that punish people, if there are no consequences for their actions, they will continually do it.
Now, this is a tough area.
Where do you draw the line between inappropriate, between someone going online and saying I'm just a complete flogger or a person?
Well, I'll tell you where I draw the line.
I draw the line the same place that you did.
Yeah, I draw the line in the same place that you did.
You know, I put up a lot of abuse.
I think abuse is just what it is.
But when somebody put on one of my son's Instagram in public, a public message, a direct threat against his life and mine, and in fact, my ex-wife, his mother, I felt that crossed the line.
I reported it to the police because if this person did it in any other forum, that would be a criminal offence.
And you know, 16 months later, it's still going through the wheels of justice.
That person, I think they know who it is that posted it, but he still hasn't been charged.
And I find that extraordinary that 16 months later, you can make a direct public death threat about it, very specific, and nothing gets done for 16 months.
You've had similar.
So what did you do with the Australian government to effect change?
Essentially, I just started lobbying them.
And look, my dad's a senator in Australia, so I had contacts and I make no apology at all for using the contacts that I had to try and make this world a better place, not just for me.
And this is not a celebrity problem.
I think that's a big thing as well.
A lot of everyday Australians, Americans, Brits look at this and think, oh, but it's just, you know, celebrities complaining about people not liking them online.
That's not true at all.
This is about everyday people being subjected to vile abuse.
So I said to the government, we need to create something that will stop people from doing this.
We need penalties.
It's not about clogging up the court system.
You put one person on the front page of the paper that's been sentenced to 10 years in jail for threatening to rape, threatening to rape my two-year-old, and that cuts out 90% of it.
You've got to create consequences for these people.
And as I said, our laws here are brilliant because they're akin to the criminal code.
So it's essentially, it's so simple.
Why we make it complex is beyond me.
It's so simple.
What exists in the real world should exist online.
It's not an imaginary space anymore.
A bloke last week was in court and pled guilty.
Five years of social media harassment.
He was deluded, fell in love with me, thought we were going to be in a relationship.
What started online for two, three years then turned into in-person.
And that's the other thing as well.
We've got to clean up this space online because a lot of these people take it from the online world in infatuation and show up at your workplace, break into your workplace.
So the laws here basically make it safer online without stopping free speech.
And that's no mean for us.
I think that's the key, isn't it?
It's about where is the line.
There is a line.
Free speech doesn't mean you have the right to say you're going to rape someone's two-year-old daughter or make death threats against people in the world.
Look at Kim Kardashian.
You were just talking about...
You're just talking about Kim Kardashian.
I thought her comments about losing weight, the fact that she cried because her dress didn't fit, she wore sauna suits twice a day.
I think those are appalling comments.
Do I think she should be stopped from saying them?
Absolutely not.
Do I think I have the right to publicly reply?
And you should use that as an opportunity to say to all of you.
You shouldn't have.
Yeah, but you shouldn't have to put up with death threats or threats against your child.
I shouldn't have to put up with that.
Nor should anybody.
It doesn't matter if you're well-known or not well-known.
So there is a line.
And I want this show to work out where that line is, because there is a line.
And the line to me on social media should be the same line that there is in the real world, like you said.
Erin, great to talk to you.
Thank you very much for joining me.
Piers, I once sung on national TV and they said I sounded like a cat in a blender.
So if you ask me to sing happy birthday, Mr. President, I'm sorry.
You know what?
I think I've heard you singing before.
I'm going to spare me and my viewers the pain.
You have.
Thanks, Erin.
Well, I says the next is Apple staff rise up against their return to work order.
Is it time for all remote workers to be risen up from their sofas and get back to the office?
We'll debate that next.
Well, Apple workers are having a systems malfunction of being told to go back to the office three days a week, according to an anonymous survey.
76% of employees are unhappy with the company's return to work policy.
But joining me now is entrepreneur Charlie Mullins, along with psychotherapist author Dr. Hardwick.
Well, welcome to both of you.
Charlie, how are you?
Hi.
I'm good, thanks.
Worker to Piers Morgan on says, and I can't think of anybody less censored in the world than you.
So it's great to have you on the show.
My view...
I'm going to be on here and an opportunity to be able to say what we want to say.
Well, exactly.
And you can say whatever you want right now.
Tell me about this work from home debate.
Apparently, loads of Apple workers just simply don't want to go back to the office.
What's your message for them?
Yeah, well, I mean, as you say, simply they don't want to go back.
I mean, all this working from home nonsense is complete rubbish.
All it keeps saying it's more productive, but the standards have dropped and people just need to get back to work.
I mean, it's as simple as that.
I mean, I just think they're being lazy.
I think they're being kidding the bosses along.
They're not being as productive.
But all they keep saying is I'm more productive, I'm more productive.
The right move, this law firm has said that they would make their wages 20% less and they're exactly right.
The way to get them back to work, make it 50% less.
Let's stop messing about enough's enough.
Let's get the economy going again.
And let's not stop having these people telling, dictating what they want to do and what they don't want to do about it.
Okay, let me bring in Robbie Lovey.
Now, Robbie, it's a complicated issue because Apple employees will say, well, look, we create products which allow us to work from home.
Now, I work partly at home when I do writing and partly here in a studio with other people.
But I can certainly work as a writer from home using Apple products.
So I do get that part of the argument that there are certain types of people working in certain companies, including Apple, who might be able to be just as productive at home.
Yes, and it really depends on the arrangement pre-pandemic.
You know, most workers are really happy with a hybrid at the very least.
They have more autonomy.
They can balance their work life better.
They feel more loyal to companies that understand that workers want to have some flexibility and agency over their lives.
This really is the wave of the future.
And companies can make themselves more competitive by offering this as an option to their workers.
And also, it saves money potentially in terms of the type of workspaces that companies will have to rent.
It may not have to be as large.
So there are a lot of benefits both for individuals and companies alike.
Charlie, you've heard that argument.
I mean, you've heard that argument when you've been debating this.
What do you think?
Yeah, well, I mean, you can dress it up as much as you want, but long term, it will not be more productive for majority of businesses to work from home.
Common sense has got to come in here, and people are going to be getting on with their gardening.
They're going to take the children, they're going to go out for meals, get up the pub, down the beach.
I mean, let's be realistic.
Why don't we just get real about it and stop letting them dictate, either go back to the workplace or get another job?
Simple as that.
10% of people are going to be more productive and they already are more productive.
But are you telling me that the other 90% are all going to pull their weight and not take Lib Lis?
No way in a million years.
Charlie, are all your workforce now back at work?
Well, they was never off of work.
You know, I've actually sold the company, you know, but they're never off of work.
We wouldn't allow people to work from home.
Why would I allow people to take confidential information away and have it in their own and allow all their bank details of customers in their own?
I mean, it's just idiotic.
I mean, when is somebody going to be brave enough to tell people, stop messing about, go back to the workplace or go and get another job?
They're just being lazy.
They want being paid to do less work.
Okay.
Robbie, final word to you.
Well, I don't think workers want to be infantilized anymore.
And it's really an older mode of thinking to think everybody has to be in the workspace in order to be productive.
In fact, what many companies found was that in some cases, their workers were even more productive because they were happier.
They were able to work at times that were better for their schedule.
So this is something that I think companies are just going to have to acknowledge.
There's a place for people coming into the workplace, but there's also a place for hybrid.
I think it needs to be determined ahead of time.
And you're absolutely right.
The people who want to work in the office, companies should say it's a must.
You have to work in the office and then see what kind of workers want to join their firmware.
And just as we end here, Robbie, where are you actually talking to me from right now?
I'm in New York City.
In your workplace or where?
Yes, my workplace is in New York City.
Hey, Charlie, where are you?
So I've been doing telehealth.
But you're at home, Charlie, right?
You're a home.
I'm in Devon on a filming location, actually working, but at filming.
And I'm here.
But whichever way you look at it, it will work less from home.
And the quicker that we get back into place.
I mean, why are we messing about with this nonsense?
Listen, I happen to agree with you.
And I don't like the way that these employees are now holding all these companies to ransom, either about work from home or about political issues or whatever.
But I appreciate the debate.
Robbie Ludwig and Charlie Mones.
Thank you both very much.
Maradona just walked away from Huddlehead.
They're appealing for upside.
Russia Pulls From Space Station 00:05:43
One of the most disgraceful moments in the history of world sport, Argentinian genius Diego Maradona scoring what became known as the hand of God goal.
He said those words when he used his hand to knock England out of the World Cup in 1986.
Now a young England player, Steve Hodge, you see him there grappling with Maradona.
At the end of the game, went up to this guy and he said, Diego, can I have your shirt?
And Maradona said, yes, you can.
And they thanked each other for a good game.
Little did Steve Hodge know that today, when that shirt got auctioned, it went for 7 million pounds.
That's just under 9 million US dollars for a shirt that was given to him in the tunnel.
So it was the hand of God and now the hand of Wad has headed to Steve Hodge.
And I congratulate him on one of the great, great results in the history of football.
Uncensored.
Next, as Russia pulls out of international space stations over sanctions, i'll speak to former NASA astronaut and retired US NAVY captain Scott Kelly.
After the break, we're on to its back for a seven-minute ride into orbit.
Discovery now making one last reach for the stars.
Well, space is the latest frontier in the war with Russia.
The head of Russia's space program, Dmitry Rogozin, says sanctions have destroyed space unity and the country will pull out of the International Space Station.
I was going to say the former NASA astronaut, retired U.S. Navy captain Scott Kelly joins me now.
So good to have you on the show, Scott.
Lovely to talk to you again.
How are you?
I'm good, Piers.
Thanks for having me.
Just quickly, what impact does this have, if anything, Russia pulling out of the space station like this?
Well, it would have a significant impact to the International Space Station program.
Russia is one of the critical partners.
The space station is something I think that people look up to as an example of international cooperation.
NASA relies on Russia.
Russia relies on NASA to operate and maintain the space station.
So if they were to just suddenly leave, it would create some significant problems in continuing to operate.
You have been quite vocal about what's been going on with this.
There's a sort of ongoing debate, isn't there, about what we do with Russian individuals in sport, in culture, and so on.
I mean, is there an argument for the global community to simply outlaw Russian space programs, Russian cosmonauts, and so on?
You know, I think it's important enough to humanity to have a place that is not on this planet where we can work cooperatively together, peacefully together, for the benefit of all of us.
And, you know, currently that's the International Space Station.
And, you know, this cooperation started at the end of the Cold War.
It's been very successful.
I hope we can continue to maintain this cooperation for those reasons.
And, you know, also because I have a lot of friends in Russia that work for the space station program, Ruscosmos.
Many of them are very good people.
But, you know, I think at some point, I don't think we're there yet, but I do think at some point, based on Russia's behavior and what they may or may not do, that we could get to the point where terrestrial politics does supersede this important cooperation in space.
Geopolitically, I mean, there are things that Russia could do that I think we could say, you know, enough is enough, like you said.
On a lighter note, NASA is sending drawings of naked humans into space in the hope of luring aliens towards us.
What do you think of that?
You know, well, I heard about that today, so I googled it.
And what it looks like to me is just something very similar to like that golden plaque kind of thing that was put on the Voyager spacecraft.
You know, things that we've left maybe on the moon, on, you know, the bottom of the lunar lander, you know, we came in peace for all mankind to show like certain things that demonstrate, you know, what humans are, you know, what their appearance is.
It didn't seem to me like it was sending like, you know, naughty images into spaces you would say in Britain.
I have got a picture actually of myself in a very substantive burger commercial.
a few years ago, which I think could be just what we need to attract aliens to this planet.
Or it might, of course, have the, it might, of course, have the complete opposite effect.
I'm not sure if you can see the horrifying picture that's on the screen right now, Scott, but it would be enough to put any alien off.
Yeah, I can't see it, but if I can imagine it, it would probably repel any alien invaders.
Scott, before I let you go, do you have a great unfulfilled dream?
I mean, an extraordinary career you've had, including, of course, going to space.
Do you have a dream left?
Well, you know, as far as like space flight's concerned, I was just happy to have that privilege of flying in space.
You know, unfortunately, like right now, my major focus has been like speaking out against this war in Ukraine.
I have Ukrainian-American family members.
I have Ukrainian friends.
I have Russian friends.
You know, certainly the Ukrainians are suffering most of anyone by far.
But, you know, there's a lot of people I care about.
So, you know, my current dream is for this nightmare of, you know, illegal invasion, murders, rapes, you know, genocide to be over.
Scott Prioritizes Ukraine War 00:00:34
I mean, that's as far ahead as I'm thinking for me, for myself personally right now.
Scott, it's great to talk to you.
Thank you very much indeed for joining me.
Thank you, Pierce.
Well, tomorrow night is the most ruthless TV boss and father in the world, and he doesn't mince his words.
What are you waiting for?
A kiss.
Be gone.
Bye-bye.
Succession star, acclaimed actor Brian Cox will be with me, as will Tina Brown, talking about the Royals and her great new book.
That's it from me.
And remember, whatever you're up to, make sure it's uncensored.
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