After TV host Piers Morgan rudely interrupted pro-Israel advocate, attorney, and international law expert Natasha Hausdorff more than 30 times in an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, some are wondering whether it does more harm than good to appear on Morgan’s show. In addition, on X, Morgan absurdly referred to journalist and author Douglas Murray as a “hack.” This is quite curious considering that Morgan had Murray guest host his show and also interviewed Murray reporting from Israel while there was danger overhead.
One view is that it is time for pro-Israel advocates to stop appearing on Morgan’s show. This view was expressed by Jewish comic Michael Rapaport who said Morgan’s producers have tried to get him on before. On his podcast I Am Rapaport, he said that there is an urge to go on and think one will have a silver bullet in the form of facts. But he tweeted that pro-Israel advocates should not appear on Morgan’s show. Arguing with someone like Dave Smith, a comedian who knows little about Israel and has never been there, is a waste of time, Rapaport says. “Don’t give him the airspace,” Rapaport said of Morgan’s show.
Israeli tech and marketing expert Hillel Fuld, who stopped his prior career to advocate for Israel after October 7, said he almost went on the show a while ago. Now, he says he would not go on. “I’ve stayed away,” Fuld told The Jewish Press. “He’s gone over the top. There is no talking to him about Israel without his lies and position.”
Fuld said pro-Israel guests appearing on Morgan’s show do more damage than good. Morgan for a time blasted guests who would not condemn October 7, but has since shifted his tone, and while he still considers Hamas terrorists, he has shifted his stance and became harsher on Israel, notably blaming the country for not allowing in foreign journalists to Gaza. In accosting Hausdorff, he immediately accused of her lying when she tried to explain Israel’s position on this matter.
But while some guests have been ridiculed and treated harshly, many thought that Hausdorff actually made Morgan look foolish. Thane Rosenbaum, a professor at Touro College and author of the new book Beyond Proportionality: Israel’s Just War in Gaza, says that in the digital age, it’s not about merit. Rosenbaum has interviewed world leaders and major celebrities and said he didn’t appreciate how Morgan treated Hausdorff.
“What he [Morgan] did to Natasha was insult her because he couldn’t counter her,” Rosenbaum told The Jewish Press. “Antisemitism is immune to logic, truth, critical thinking. I would still go on Piers’ show and debate if invited because a lot of what we see these days are cowardly Jews. Some are intellectually dishonest. Why am I the only law professor who says there is not protection to say ‘Globalize the Intifada’ on campuses?
“Still, I can see why people see it may be pointless,” he continued. “Most of [Morgan’s] audience hates Jews and…he gets a lot of views because people tune in to see a wrestling match. To anyone who accepts an invitation to appear on Piers Morgan’s show, one must [think about] what kind of invitation are they accepting. There are millions of people who hate Jews, but there is a small chance there can be a viral moment where someone says the truth about Israel.
“It’s not like you’re going to expect to convince anyone on his show. It’s a clown show. He is an intellectual moron who looks like a clown,’ Rosenbaum said. “Putting an accent on a moron doesn’t make him noble. Mixed in are some things he says that are true. The best you can hope for is a 30-second link where you can calmly state the case for Israel like Natasha did.
“I would go on because I’m better at stating the case the most people, but I can see why many now have decided it’s not worth it,” he concluded.
Jeff Lax, an attorney and professor at Kingsborough Community College who often appears on Fox News Channel and Newsmax, said it is important to have a voice. “I would go on Piers’s show because Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust had no voice, and I view part of my life mission to speak out on behalf of Jews so something so terrible never happens again, and to speak out against antisemitism, whether in colleges or anywhere else,” Lax told The Jewish Press. “It is true some may come in hating Jews to begin with, but in my opinion, you have to have the guts and confidence to put your points out there and the chips will fall where they may.
“Not everyone has the debating skills or knowledge to confidently present, so if you do, it’s a waste of talent to not put it out there, in my opinion. We are so outnumbered, so if given the platform to speak, we have to take that opportunity even if we are incensed that other guests given an opportunity are antisemitic,” Lax said.
Ami Kozak, who hosts the podcast Ami’s House, once calmly and skillfully debated Dave Smith as well as Candace Owens in a bizarre episode in which she said she thought all Muslims in Jerusalem were required to live in the Muslim Quarter, which is false.
Kozak, who is also a gifted comedian and musician in the group Distant Cousins, said he understands both sides of the argument. Kozak – who may be the only person able to do a killer imitation of President Donald Trump, former Vice-President Kamala Harris, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson (he nails the laugh,) and Douglas Murray – said he would appear on Morgan’s show, despite having some disagreements.
“It’s not for everyone,” Kozak told The Jewish Press. “If you’re able to stay calm, can be articulate and not get flustered, I think it’s worth it to make your case. Piers has had more guests about the topic than anyone. So there may be some who feel it’s not worth it and I hear that, but this is where eyeballs are. I certainly enjoy debating and studying arguments, and the show is a big part of culture that people are talking about.”
