Piers Morgan teases CBB stint as he makes extraordinary pay demand
Piers Morgan has said he would happily enter the Celebrity Big Brother house - if bosses meet his outrageous demands.
The 58-year-old broadcaster has built up an impressive TV career - having been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent in the past as well as hosting his own TalkTV show Piers Morgan: Uncensored, which recently shifted to a YouTube only show. But reality show fans are hoping that Piers could be added to the current line-up - which already includes 71-year-old former X Factor judges Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh.
Piers was asked about his thoughts on becoming a contestant in the current season of the show - which is the 23rd season of the long-running series, but the first to appear on ITV after the network revived the show after Channel 5 cancelled it in 2018. The former Good Morning Britain star did not reject the idea - but he laid out his terms.
The star has made it very clear that he will only feature on the show if bosses cough up a huge amount of money. A fan made the proposal to Piers on X - asking: “With Louis and Sharon in the Big Brother house, I think it’s time to add another former talent show judge. Yes, I’m looking at you @piersmorgan.”
Piers reacted to the post and said it was a brilliant suggestion. He wrote in reply: “Great idea – you can agent my deal, son. Start negotiations at £10m... per minute.” Fans were quick to encourage the broadcaster to consider it.
Corrie's Sue Cleaver says I'm A Celebrity stint helped her to push boundariesOne fan wrote: “Think you’d be brilliant in there, the arguments you would cause would be hilarious [cry-laughing emoji].” Another typed: “Oh Piers! You would be fantastic in the Big Brother house! [star-eyes emoji, laughing emoji] Do it!” And a third echoed: “Worth every penny [giggling emoji]”.
While £10 million per minute might be unrealistic, the star could still negotiate an impressive fee if he plays his cards right. Sharon signed up to the show for a reported £100,000 per day - and even negotiated her own room and a limited run on the series, showing she would stay for only five days.
An insider told the Mirror earlier this week: "Sharon didn't fancy the full slog on the show and she knew how much the bosses wanted her so she made a special deal. She isn't staying for the full show but is still taking home one of the biggest pay cheques." ITV insiders said she was top of their list to ensure the new series "has The X Factor " and gets off to a bright and exciting start.
However, the star’s team has attempted to debunk the story, hitting back at the report to state it is “not true” - but did not specify if the music manager was being paid less or more for her time on the show. This week, businessman Gary Goldsmith, 58, and Real Housewife Lauren Simon, 51, have been selected to face the public vote.
Sharon selected Gary as a housemate who would be forced to face eviction - while Lauren was voted for the chop by her fellow housemates. The loser of the vote is due to leave the house on Friday night.