Piers Morgan Reveals the Story Behind His Infamous Clash With Jeremy Clarkson
Piers Morgan has revisited one of the most talked-about moments of his early career, revealing new details about his long-rumoured confrontation with Jeremy Clarkson — an incident that left his family “enraged” and ultimately contributed to major changes in his professional life.
Speaking in a recent interview, the Piers Morgan Uncensored host was asked whether he and Clarkson had truly experienced a real feud, rather than the playful jabs the public often assumed. Morgan confirmed the long-standing tension and pointed to a small scar on his forehead as evidence of their clash.
According to Morgan, the dispute traces back to the early 2000s, when Clarkson — then married to Frances Cain — allegedly asked him, as editor of the Daily Mirror, not to publish photos of him with another woman. Despite the request, the images were published, escalating tensions between the two media personalities.
The situation came to a head during the 2004 British Press Awards. Morgan says Clarkson approached him during the ceremony and struck him — not once, but multiple times. “It was only when he hit me for the third time that I said, ‘Is that it? My three-year-old hits me harder than that,’” Morgan recalled, adding that Clarkson broke his own finger in the process.
Morgan claimed the injury left Clarkson’s finger “disfigured,” a detail the Clarkson’s Farm star later acknowledged in a 2022 column, where he described punching Morgan three times before realising he had injured himself.
Despite the dramatic nature of the incident, Morgan said he never retaliated — a decision that did not sit well with his older brother, who served as an army colonel. “He was absolutely enraged that I’d just allowed Clarkson to hit me, and I hadn’t hit him back,” Morgan explained. “I told him I didn’t want to get the sack — and then I got fired three weeks later.”
Morgan compared the encounter to the famously awkward fight scene between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth in Bridget Jones’s Diary, describing it as “a couple of drunk men slapping each other around — absolutely pathetic.”
Although the altercation made headlines at the time, Morgan said the feud eventually fizzled out after a decade of mutual insults. “We abused each other for years,” he admitted, before confirming that the two have since buried the hatchet.
Clarkson has also acknowledged the incident publicly. Writing in The Times in 2022, he recounted his version of the confrontation, describing Morgan confronting him about his wife’s reaction before Clarkson struck him repeatedly. Clarkson added that the act “didn’t get boring,” though he admitted injuring his finger was an “annoying” consequence.
The resurfaced story comes shortly after Morgan made headlines for another moment of controversy — this time live on television. During a conversation on This Morning about patriarchy, Morgan used an expletive, immediately apologising after realising the remark had gone out on air. “Sorry — I’d like to apologise for what the guest just said,” he joked, covering his mouth. Co-host Ben Shephard responded humorously, suggesting Morgan “might not be invited back for a while.”
Despite decades of public tension and high-profile clashes, Morgan insists he and Clarkson now maintain a cordial relationship — a surprising resolution to one of British media’s most infamous spats.
