Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan was appointed as the editor of a British national newspaper by Rupert Murdoch at the age of 29. Facebook/Piers Morgan Uncensored

Former CNN anchor Piers Morgan closed a $27 million funding round at a reported valuation of $145 million as part of efforts to grow his widely popular brand called Uncensored. The funding round was backed by investors, including Raine Ventures, Antenna Group, as well as British businessmen Simon and David Reuben. Note that the Reuben family placed second on the Sunday Times Rich List 2026.

However, the support from Elisabeth Murdoch as well has become a talking point as Morgan transitioned his Uncensored brand from her father Rupert Murdoch's nightly show on TalkTV to an independent YouTube venture in 2025. Morgan also acquired full ownership of Uncensored from Murdoch's News UK.

'Our ambition for Uncensored has always been to build a truly global media platform for smart, compelling, high-engagement content that resonates with audiences worldwide,' Morgan had reportedly said.

The funding will be used to expand the network's channels, which now include The Royals Uncensored and World Cup Uncensored, expected to allow the network to move into live events and subscription products.

Under the agreement, Uncensored also entered a licensing deal with Antenna Group for boosting content outreach worldwide. Uncensored has over 4.4 million YouTube subscribers. Channel content is also bundled for 5, which is the UK TV network owned by Paramount Skydance.

'The media industry has seen seismic change in recent years, and — backed by this group of world-class investors — we are now in a unique position to help redefine that landscape and establish Uncensored as one of the world's most influential media companies,' Morgan had added.

Murdoch's investment comes a month after her brother James purchased Vox, New York Magazine, and the Vox Media Podcast Network via his private holding company Lupa Systems. Meanwhile, Morgan had also entered an agreement with Time Studios to produce and distribute an existing long-form interview series hosted by him and expected to launch later this year.

Morgan and Rupert Go Way Back

Morgan and Rupert Murdoch have shared a professional relationship spanning decades. For instance, Murdoch appointed Morgan as editor of the News of the World in 1994, making him the youngest editor of a British national newspaper in over half-a-century. Back then, Morgan was only 29 years old.

Coming to 2021, Morgan entered a significant multi-year deal with Murdoch's News Corp, which included columns for The Sun and New York Post, alongside hosting the Piers Morgan Uncensored show on the newly launched TalkTV network.

However, Morgan decided to pivot his show into a standalone, YouTube-only format in early 2025 amid rising linear TV production costs and lower-than-anticipated rating for TalkTV.

Soon after, Morgan's Wake Up Productions acquired the rights to the brand from News UK, but note that Murdoch's firm had ensured that it retained a commercial and revenue-sharing interest.

'Owning the brand allows my team and I the freedom to focus exclusively on building Uncensored into a standalone business – editorially and commercially – and in time widening it from just me and my content,' Morgan had told The Guardian last year.

On soaring Talk TV production costs and low ratings, Morgan had said back then that the commitment to a daily show with a fixed schedule was becoming an 'increasingly unnecessary straitjacket.'

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