Piers Morgan is expanding his growing digital media empire, and he is turning to a fellow cable news veteran to help him do it.
Morgan, the provocative former newspaper editor-turned TV personality, has hired Rashida Jones, the former president of MSNBC, to become CEO of his company Uncensored.
The hiring of Jones comes as Uncensored raises fresh capital from Raine Ventures, Antenna Group and Reuben Brothers, the investment firm led by David and Simon Reuben. Uncensored is said to have been seeking about $30 million in the latest investment round, as it seeks to create a new media empire.
Uncensored began with Morgan’s YouTube show, Piers Morgan Uncensored, and recently launched a second show, History Uncensored, led by former CNN anchor Bianca Nobilo. Morgan’s show also airs on TV through Paramount’s Channel 5 in the U.K.
Morgan is known for his incisive questioning of guests and a point-of-view on politics that does not fit neatly into the boxes that define much of traditional media, where places like Jones’ former home MSNBC and Fox News (Morgan’s show has also streamed on Fox Nation) tend to program talent with predictable perspectives.
While he began his career as a tabloid journalist at The Sun and Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World, he also broke into the U.S. as a judge on America’s Got Talent, and as an anchor on CNN, where he succeeded the legendary Larry King as 9 p.m. host.
Now free of the confines of traditional media, he has been building out a digital empire, joining fellow cable veterans like Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon in the space. And he is turning to one of the top executives from that world to help him do it.
“The ambition for Uncensored has always been to build a global home for fearless, high-engagement content that cuts through the noise. Today’s announcements will help us create exactly that,” said Morgan in a statement. “Rashida Jones is one of the sharpest minds in media and her track record of building and transforming businesses speaks for itself. She has impressed me enormously with her enthusiasm and vision for the Uncensored brand. With this bold, unapologetic, and dynamic leader, plus the backing of an incredible group of investors led by Raine Ventures and Antenna Group, we are now positioned to create one of the biggest new media entities in the world.”
“Piers developed an incredible platform with Uncensored that’s already going head-to-head with legacy media,” added Jones. “In today’s fragmented media world, audiences are craving real conversations grounded in authenticity, rigor, and open debate. Uncensored not only delivers that—it’s ahead of the curve. I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves with Piers and the team to build on the strong foundation they created and scale it into a diverse and profitable network that champions talent and dominates the biggest categories.”