Piers Morgan Just Slammed Barack Obama. Here's Why

Piers Morgan is undeniably a divisive figure. While some may think Morgan is that he's a feckless provocateur or a perpetually attention-starved man with the mentality of a petulant child who wants not only his lollipop but yours too, there's one thing for certain: he's never been one to shy away from grabbing a headline. The television personality spent much of the first half of 2021 condemning Meghan Markle and spoke out against Naomi Osaka. Now, Morgan's latest target — one that came only days after he railed against gymnast Simone Biles for stepping away from the Olympics to prioritize her health — is none other than former President Barack Obama. 

On August 2, Morgan penned an op-ed in his column for the Daily Mail, in which he chastised Obama for planning an event for his upcoming 60th birthday — a move which the former tabloid journalist and former "Good Morning, Britain" host condemned as "hypocritical." But perhaps the most shocking part of all is that Morgan used an example of his own past behavior to underline his point. So why exactly does Morgan have Obama on blast? And is there any merit to his argument? Read on after the jump below to find out. 

In his most recent op-ed for the Daily Mail, media personality Piers Morgan berated Barack Obama for his plans to celebrate his 60th birthday, which, at the time of this writing, is still set to occur over the weekend of August 7. Per The Washington Post, Obama requested that those who attend his birthday bash at Martha's Vineyard in Cape Cod — reported to be as many as 500 people — are all vaccinated for COVID-19. Attendees will be tested upon arrival and "an on-site coronavirus coordinator [will] ensure safety protocols are followed," though no mention of how their status will be verified — such as providing vaccination cards for entry — was mentioned.

Despite measures already in place, Morgan lambasted the plan for Obama's birthday as irresponsible, especially in light of the surge of the deadly delta COVID variant in parts of the U.S. To add credence to his argument, Morgan used a bit of anecdata: sharing how he caught COVID-19 during the Euros at Wembley Stadium in June, even though he and others, all fully vaccinated, were assured the event would be safe. Though Morgan said he and at least 15 others personally knew who caught COVID-19 at the tournament were not hospitalized, Morgan warned that "the optics of this event couldn't be worse for someone like Obama who's always prided himself on take public health very seriously and leading by example."