John Cleese and Piers Morgan have renewed their social media hostilities over Jimmy Kimmel‘s suspension and Donald Trump‘s state visit to the UK.
Cleese and Morgan are no strangers to slogging it out on X/Twitter, and the events of this week provided another battleground.
Morgan has claimed that Kimmel “lied about Charlie Kirk’s assassin being MAGA” after the comedian said on his ABC show that the “MAGA gang desperately [is] trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it.”
Responding to Morgan’s claim, Cleese wrote: “This from Piers Morgan. who has made a fortune working for Rupert Murdoch.” Morgan replied: “You took Rupert’s money too, you flaming old hypocrite.I’m just proud of it.”
This is familiar territory for the duo. In January, Cleese branded Morgan “lazy” and “sloppy” for defending Murdoch following News Group Newspapers’ settlement with Prince Harry over privacy invasion.
Morgan responded: “I’m bemused. You say you’ve chosen not to work for Rupert Murdoch yet you starred in The Day The Earth Stood Still in 2008 which was produced by 20th Century Fox, owned at the time by.. Rupert Murdoch. Were you being lazy, sloppy, or just a lying hypocrite?”
Elsewhere on Thursday, Cleese mocked Morgan over what he saw as the presenter’s sycophancy during Trump’s state visit to Britain.
Piers has spotted a possible ‘in’ with Trump and he’s after it like a rat up a drainpipe
Well, if you can’t get Murdoch to employ you any more, Trump would be a good replacement https://t.co/jKxtQ3YZqr
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) September 18, 2025
“Piers has spotted a possible ‘in’ with Trump and he’s after it like a rat up a drainpipe,” he said, commenting on a Fox News clip in which Morgan called Melania Trump “radiant” and compared her to Jackie Kennedy as a “fashion icon.”
Cleese withered: “Well, if you can’t get Murdoch to employ you anymore, Trump would be a good replacement.” This was a nod to the fact that Morgan has moved his show, Piers Morgan Uncensored, to YouTube.
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