Piers Morgan has issued an apology after airing allegations about Jay-Z and Beyoncé during an interview.
The moment took place earlier this week, when singer Jaguar Wright appeared on Morgan’s Uncensored show and spoke about the recent arrest of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
During the discussion – which has since gone viral – Wright used the platform to put forward accusations against Jay-Z and Beyoncé as well, alleging that the two of them both have “hundreds of victims”.
“For four years I’ve been screaming not just Diddy, but Diddy and Jay-Z are monsters,” she added.
Now, Morgan has explained to viewers that he had been contacted by Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s lawyers, and apologised for broadcasting the statements made by his guest.
“The thing about platforms, the reality of the modern world is that pretty much everyone has a platform as long as they have something to say that other people want to hear,” Morgan said in yesterday’s episode (October 8). “That’s why we invited [Wright] on to be interviewed. The people making these claims have an audience with or without shows like mine.”
Piers Morgan. CREDIT: JORAS/GC Images/Getty
He continued, “Well, Jaguar, unexpectedly, made several serious allegations about Jay-Z and Beyoncé during that interview. As I said in the moment, they were not present to respond or defend themselves, but now they have. We had lawyers contact us to say that those claims were totally false and have no basis in fact, and we’ve therefore complied with a legal request to cut them from the original interview.”
Concluding, he said: “Editing interviews is not something we do lightly at a show called Uncensored, but like the proverbial cries of fire in a crowded theatre, there are legal limits on us, too. And we apologise to Jay-Z and Beyoncé.”
The appearance on Uncensored comes in light of Diddy – real name Sean Combs – being arrested in New York last month and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transporting for prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
He was denied bail and reportedly placed on suicide watch while awaiting trial, with some reports suggesting that he was not eating in prison out of fear of being poisoned.
Diddy. CREDIT: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for MTV
Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, later shared that an appeal against the bail denial had been filed, with the musician promising that he won’t be meeting any women apart from his family members, and that he would partake in weekly drug tests if released from prison. His next next hearing is scheduled to take place on Wednesday (October 9).
Per Rolling Stone, Texan lawyer Tony Buzbee held a virtual press conference last week where he shared that of the 120 alleged victims, 60 were men and 60 were women. Among these 120 people, 25 were minors at the time of the alleged abuse, with the youngest alleged victim aged nine-years-old.
In a statement to the outlet, Diddy’s lawyer Erica Wolff said the musician “emphatically and categorically denies” the allegations. “As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasised, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” she said.
“That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors. He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”
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