Piers Morgan Praises Kanye West’s Apology for Antisemitic Remarks Moments After Rapper Said He Was ‘Absolutely Not’ Sorry

Piers Morgan went from condemning to fawning over Kanye West in a new interview that will air on Wednesday on his Piers Uncensored show, praising the rapper even after West said he was “absolutely not” sorry for his antisemitic remarks.

In a preview clip released before the show airs, the rapper calls Morgan a “Karen,” adding: “You don’t hold accountability to my pain.”

“I’m not a Karen and I’m not going to cancel you and I’m not going to censor you, I’m simply going to challenge you on what you’re saying,” Morgan says.

As Morgan tries to call out West on his antisemitic remarks and that it is racism, West denies it.

“Do you now regret saying ‘death con 3 on Jewish people’… Are you sorry you said that?”

Kanye: “No… Absolutely not.” The clip then cuts to him saying, “I will say I’m sorry for the people that I hurt with the Defcon [comment], the confusion that I caused. I felt like I caused hurt and confusion. And I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I have been through.”

It then cuts to Morgan praising him for his sort-of apology. “That shows you’ve got that ability to be self-aware, to understand when you cross a line. I think someone like you with all your energy and creativity and your passion. You’re gonna say stuff,” Morgan adds, giving West a pass, despite the rapper not really apologizing for what he actually said. “The way you talk constantly in such an extraordinary manner, you’re gonna trip up, you’re gonna say things the wrong way.”

Of course, Ye being Ye, he continues to push back a bit in the clip, while also seeming to plug his hopeful 2024 run for president. “I just want to say that it’s wrong to hold an apology hostage and I gotta let go of that, and free myself of the trauma and say, ‘Look, I’m just gonna give it all up to God right now.’ And say to those families that I hurt, you know, I really want to give you guys a big hug. And I want to say I’m sorry for hurting you with my comments. And I want to word it in not like a political way, but in a presidential way, which means what I knew a president to be when I was growing up.”

During the interview, West also went on to slam President Biden for not listening to Elon Musk when claiming that the “one percent” needs to come together. “The President of the United States does not have meetings with Elon Musk,” West told Morgan, according to the New York Post. “That is fucking — Hey, here, come, come get me — That’s fucking retarded. I know I’m not supposed to say that, Biden, but that’s fucking retarded, Biden.” Perhaps sensing a social firestorm, West, who struggles with bipolar disorder, added: “Because I’ve been deemed with mental health, all this. I have the right to use whatever words that I like to use.”

Just a little over a week before their interview, Morgan had tweeted, “Kanye West being locked out of his social media accounts isn’t an attack on free speech, it’s a justified suppression of vile, indefensible hate speech.”

West has drawn significant controversy in recent weeks. His Instagram and Twitter accounts were restricted last week after he tweeted he was “going to go death con 3 on Jewish people.’” This past weekend during an interview on Drink Champs, he doubled-down on his antisemitic comments, stating his belief that Jews control the media, and he falsely claimed that George Floyd died from fentanyl rather than a police officer’s knee on Floyd’s neck.

Earlier in the week, Floyd’s family said that they’re considering suing West over his comments. Lee Merritt, an attorney for the Floyd family, told Rolling Stone  the Floyd family feels “absolutely betrayed by his comments.” On Tuesday, Roxie Washington, who is the mother of Floyd’s daughter, announced plans to file a suit for $250 million in damages against West and others on behalf of Floyd’s child, who is a minor.