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Piers Morgan Live
Interview with Star Jones; Top 10 Moments of 2013
Aired December 19, 2013 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: This is PIERS MORGAN LIVE. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Tonight, duck and cover. The war escalates over Duck Dynasty. What Phil Robertson says about gays and indeed about blacks (inaudible) is outrageous, but should anybody really be surprised by his views? It's about religion or about hate? Star Jones will have an opinion on that. She's here tonight. Plus, the top 10 moments of 2013 on this show, from Bill Clinton's Bono.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FMR. UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: Well, I'm Irish, you know? And we, Irish, we can imitate anybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: The Warren Buffett's ukulele.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN BUFFETT: And more, much more than this, I did it my way.
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MORGAN: To be lovely, and slightly tubby, Jennifer Lawrence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER LAWRENCE: I'm sorry.
MORGAN: My goodness.
LAWRENCE: I was going to camel and I got pulled off camel on ...
MORGAN: Never mind camel ...
LAWRENCE: ... apparently late.
MORGAN: We don't care about camel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: You voted your favorite 10 moments of the year. I'll reveal them all tonight. I'll begin now the Big Story. The war over Duck Dynasty. Joining me now is CNN political commentator Ben Ferguson and Marc Lamont Hill and Michael Brown, the radio host of the Line of Fire and the author of "A Queer Thing Happened to America."
Welcome to all of you.
OK. So this thing has caught fire today. And it's much more than just about Duck Dynasty.
Let me start with Ben Ferguson because ...
BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah.
MORGAN: ... Bill O'Reilly, of all people, has tonight come out and said Mr. Robertson, I believe, made a mistake by the condemnation line and here's why. It's not about the Bible or believing or not believing the Bible. It's about singling out a group. It could be anyone and saying to that group, "Hey, you're not worthy in the eyes of the Lord because of who you are. And Mr. O'Reilly, I've never been your biggest fan, but I salute you for that" because that surely is what this is really about Ben Ferguson. It's about targeting gays in America and saying you are not worthy in the eyes of the Lord.
FERGUSON: I don't think so at all and if you actually look at what he said in the article in GQ, he also named about 11 other sense that you're selectively deciding to live out. He was asked what are sins in this country and he listed significant ones including greed, including lying, including stealing, and those are in the same list. So I think this is an issue of GQ magazine choosing to highlight this one to try to start some massive war over a guy. That is not very articulate. He is incredibly blunt but I think the way he said it was I think
(CROSSTALK)
MORGAN: Hang on, hang on. Wait, wait, wait, wait. He is articulate because actually TMZ, I know, the sermon he made in 2010 in Pennsylvania and in part of that sermon he says this, "Women with women, men with men, they committed indecent acts to one another and they receive to themselves the due penalty for their perversions, their school of murder, envy, strife, hatred, you know, insolent arrogance, God haters, they are heartless, they are faithless, they are senseless, they are ruthless, they invent ways of doing evil. That's what you have turned in 245 years roughly after your forefathers founded the country. What are you going to do Pennsylvania? Just run with them? You're going to die? Marc Lamont Hill, this guy is just a bigot, Ben, isn't he?
MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's absolutely clear that he is a bigot and this isn't the case of him listing 11 sins and gay just happened to be on the list. The centerpiece of the conversation were gay and lesbian people and then he compared them to other things including bestiality. And then when you add this 2010 sermon to it, it is absolutely disturbing and disgusting that he is using Christianity as an excuse, as a pretext for really just being a hate monger.
FERGUSON: Marc, this is my big issue is. If you actually, again, read what he said in GQ, he did not equate being gay with bestiality. He said in that same statement if you actually read and start trying to fabricate there is a connection, he never connected the two together. You cannot ...
MORGAN: Well let me read the statement to you. Let me read it I say.
FERGUSON: ... from what he says
MORGAN: Let me -- Wait a minute. Let me read the statement so there can be absolute clarity.
"It seems to me a vagina, as a man, would be more desirable than a man's anus. Start with homosexual behavior and morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and those men, it's not right."
He is condemning. Forget what else he's condemning. He's condemning a homosexual behavior, isn't he, Ben that's what he's doing.
FERGUSON: Sure he is and he believes that along with the other list that he went into with Corinthians are sins that he is obviously against and has been on the show forever. I would never have said it the way he said it. Let me make that clear, but let's not put words in his mouth and take it for what it is. He did not equate being ...
MORGAN: OK.
FERGUSON: ... gay with bestiality.
HILL: He absolutely did.
FERGUSON: He also made it very clear in there.
MORGAN: Let me bring in Dr. Michael Brown. What is your view on this, sir?
MICHAEL BROWN, NATIONALLY SYNDICATED RADIO HOST, THE LINE OF FIRE: First, he did express things in a rather crude way but would you got very upset about quoting from his message in Pennsylvania. That was mainly the words of Paul in Romans, the first chapter. It's not bigoted to say that God decide the man to be with a woman. It's not bigoted to say that sexual acts outside of male-female marriage are prohibited in Scripture. We can debate that. It's not bigoted to say it. To me, what's bigoted is that he gets fired but you have reality TV shows celebrating polygamy, celebrating polyamory, celebrating teen sex, gay kids losing their virginity as teenagers on Glee, that's fine. That's not a problem. That's to be celebrated. When he says, you know, I'm a Bible thumper. I hold to Biblical values. I believe a man was made by God to be with a woman, and I hold to these things. How is that bigoted? How was that basis of truth prior to the show.
MORGAN: Let me ask you this, sir, I hear this a lot from so called Christian -- well, wait a minute, I hear this a lot from so called Christians. I'm a Christian. I'm a Catholic. And I can look at the Bible and say parts of it are obviously utterly ridiculous. There is a part of the Bible that says, if you as woman, another virgin on your wedding night, you should be stoned to death. Clearly, that is not what Mr. Robertson is espousing today because he would know that is ridiculous. There are lots of offensive things in the Bible. But let me ask you this sir, as a Christian man, can you point to a single public utterance by Jesus Christ, the Christ in Christianity about gay people or about a gay lifestyle? Could you name one single thing that Robertson rather ...
BROWN: There are Sodom and Gomorrah -- I'll name three for you Piers. Number one, in Matthew 5, Jesus say he didn't come to abolish the Torah but to fulfill. He takes the central morals of the Torah to a higher level. Number two, in Matthew 15, he says all sexual acts coming outside of marriage defile human being and in Matthew 19, he says marriage as God intended it is the union of one man and one woman for life.
Look, Jesus did not address wife beating or heroine shooting but we don't use that argument for some (ph) but in point in fact, he as a first century Jew, of course, he reinforced these things. And Piers ...
HILL: Right.
BROWN: ... I'd encourage you to restudy what Scripture says. We should love our neighbors our self but that doesn't mean that we approve everything of our neighbor.
HILL: Piers, yeah, but, there are several problems of that interpretation. One ...
MORGAN: Yeah. Marc Lamont Hill first.
HILL: One, the New Testament absolutely does offer the words in the voice of Jesus and he very explicitly does not talk about being gay. And even the Scripture you sited about marriage is very different in talking about being gay. And even if you're saying that he ...
BROWN: Well, marriage is one man and a woman now, sir.
HILL: No, no, hold on, hold on. Let me finish, sir. I heard everything you said. I just want to respond to it. When you say -- if you're saying that he is confirming the Old Testament, well, the Old Testament is far from clear around gay marriage or around gay X.
BROWN: Are you sure about that?
HILL: If you let me finish, I'll tell you how. I'm sure about it. The book of Leviticus according to most Biblical scholars is not about being gay. Well, if you look about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah for example, it's really about being inhospitable to neighbors, it's about prostitution. And so, what many other things does not...
BROWN: Leviticus 18 -- Hebrew scholarship is my background. I have the Ph.D. in Semitic languages ... HILL: (Inaudible). That's right.
BROWN: ... Leviticus 18 is quite explicit for man to lie with a man is contrary to what God intended.
HILL: Right. But the content ...
BROWN: The rectum is part of the disposal system. It's not meant for sexuality. God design a man to be with woman. That's pretty obvious. That's not hateful to say it. That's obvious. And really, you read your Scriptures really clear on this, sir.
HILL: There are few of this Biblical interpretation to be understood ...
FERGUSON: Piers, Piers, let me say this to them.
HILL: ... without context. And again, many -- and again ...
MORGAN: Well, let me -- OK, Marc, I mean, can you just say this...
FERGUSON: Well, here's the problem.
MORGAN: Let me -- wait a minute, let me just say this. It wasn't just what he said about gays, deeply offensive though I find what he said and many other people do. I can still understand people say, well, you know, it's my religious belief that homosexuality is a sin. I think it's a load of absolute three in the modern age, three is so bigoted but -- and that's what people want to do, that's fine.
What I find more reprehensible than that was what he said about African-Americans and he said this. I never heard one of them. This is what he's talking about when he was in the cotton fields. "I never heard one of them, one black person say, "I tell you what, those doggone white people, now a word. Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say, were they happy? They were godly. They were happy. No one was singing the blues."
This guy needs to go much 12 years of slave, doesn't he, Marc Lamont Hill?
HILL: Or just have a common sense. I mean, it's actually -- it's an absurd idea here that somehow blacks weren't complaining. It's just ridiculous. I mean, for me, this is someone who's clearly bigoted, someone who clearly doesn't have a sense of history and someone who represents a quite honestly a mindset that isn't exclusive to him. There are many people in America who believe this. But corporations have a right to say we don't want to stand next to this type of person.
MORGAN: Ben Ferguson, respond directly to what he said about African- Americans. I mean, surely, you must find that deeply offensive.
FERGUSON: Look, I don't think that that's the reality that most people were around from his perspective. I can't call him a liar if he never heard someone that didn't say that to him. And let's be honest. This guy leaves in the backwoods and he very well may believe this.
HILL: I don't believe this.
FERGUSON: That doesn't mean that he's going to lie to the American people about it but I go back to the core of this tonight that really irks me about.
MORGAN: Pre-entitlement. (inaudible), we're going again to you there, pre-entitlement -- oh, wait a minute. Pre-entitlement, pre- welfare, you say, were they happy? They were happy. No one was singing the blues. But one so is black people in America. They've got entitlement and welfare, whoa, they got miserable. I mean come on, this is unbelievable.
BROWN: But Piers, the outrageous thing here ...
HILL: The best part of that quote is that black people actually invented the blues and invented the blues literally as a response to social misery. The very social misery that he's suggesting didn't exist pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, it's absolutely ridiculous.
BROWN: But here's what's more ridiculous ...
MORGAN: I...
BROWN: ... the media has not ...
MORGAN: OK. Mr. Brown.
BROWN: ... been focusing on this. What's really outrageous is that those comments are not the ones that got him booted off of A&E. Glad and HRC and these others immediately took exception to the other things. So, Piers, if we wanted to discuss this as seem well, we know his perspective, he consider themselves one of them, he was working with them, that's his perspective -- sounds very odd to me.
I agree. I would never say that but the fact is that's not where the outcry was. That shows us the extraordinary bias against the Christian holding to a Biblical view of marriage in secular views (ph).
FERGUSON: And let me say that ...
HILL: Well, that's not a Biblical view.
FERGUSON: ... when they say, Piers...
HILL: It's not a Biblical view of men.
FERGUSON: Piers. Piers.
MORGAN: OK. Ben. Ben Ferguson. Ben Ferguson.
BROWN: Well, show me one example of gay marriage in the Bible. Which one? FERGUSON: Today, I want to say that this is my problem with this. There is the Bible and there's right and wrong, and that Scripture is going to offend people in all sins. But what irks me the most about this today is even you, Piers, tweeted out a article that came from the Hollywood life that said in the article and I want to quote it. It said, "He said gay people won't go to heaven and that being gay could lead to bestiality".
That is a lie that is fabricated. He never said gay people don't go to heaven and yet this is what the liberal media is doing and you sent it out there. So people read these articles, they think, "Wow. All Christians think that gay people don't go to heaven", which is not true.
HILL: No. That for m e...
FERGUSON: And yet it's being...
MORGAN: Well...
FERGUSON: ... sent out all over the world and in fact, I mean, it's not what he said.
MORGAN: ... well, Ben. Ben. I mean, talk about splitting heads, he said this. Start with homosexual behavior ...
FERGUSON: It's not what it, Piers, is true.
MORGAN: ... and wait. Wait. Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there, bestiality. That's what he went to next.
HILL: Well, the ...
FERGUSON: Does anyone says ...
MORGAN: Bestiality.
BROWN: He talks about men sleeping with other women. We're all the heterosexual men calling and then complaining and say, "Look. He said if I sleep around with other women, that's like bestiality." Why is it that only one group response this particular way? Why is it that homosexuality can be celebrated on the media that polygamy, polyamory can be celebrated in the media.
And when someone says, "I take issue with it morally and I believe God designed men and women ...
MORGAN: Nobody is ...
BROWN: ... he gets booted off and then how can it possibly be?
MORGAN: Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
HILL: He didn't just take a moral issue.
MORGAN: Wait a minute. HILL: Go ahead.
MORGAN: Dr. Brown, nobody is celebrating being gay. People are saying they would like gay people to marry.
BROWN: Are you kidding? No one is celebrating homosexuality?
FERGUSON: Now, wait a minute, are you saying gay?
MORGAN: Let me tell you -- let me finish. Sorry. With respect it is my show. Dr. Brown, what they are doing is they are trying to espouse the same rights, the gay people in America, as full straight people like you. Why should you Dr. Michael Brown be entitled to more rights in America than somebody who's gay?
BROWN: Give me one who had the right to marry three women. Do you feel that everyone has the right to marry three ...
MORGAN: No, Dr. Brown.
BROWN: ... should a man have any right -- a grown man to marry his grown daughter if he wants to? Should he have that right? Piers Morgan, should he have that right, sir?
MORGAN: You personally would like to have more rights than a ...
BROWN: I'm asking...
MORGAN: ... gay man...
BROWN: No. No. No.
MORGAN: ... in America?
BROWN: Marriage is union of man and a woman. OK? So that's one thing. It's a union of man and woman then if it's society conveys ...
MORGAN: That's not -- what's the question I asked you?
BROWN: ... benefits on that.
MORGAN: I asked you a very simple question. Do you think you are personally entitled to more rights than gay people in America? Yes or no?
BROWN: No, of course not. But marriage is a union of a woman. You have to read the Bible about marriage.
MORGAN: So you're done? OK. OK, well then, we'll give it up. OK, you think ...
BROWN: So should two brothers deal out to marry?
MORGAN: Let me -- OK. Now, I heard you. Say that again?
BROWN: Should two grown brothers be allowed to marry? Where like in Germany, a grown brother and a grown sister who were separated in their childhood ...
MORGAN: OK. You're now getting ridiculous.
HILL: That's problem ...
BROWN: Why is that ridiculous? There are cases in court about this?
MORGAN: You're getting silly, Dr. Brown.
BROWN: Why is that ridiculous?
HILL: This is what happens...
MORGAN: You're just being silly, Dr. Brown and you know you are.
BROWN: Why is it silly? 50 years ago we still talk about a man marrying man ...
MORGAN: Excuse me. Yes, whatever. Let me read the statement.
BROWN: ... it's just the society.
MORGAN: I'll come to you Marc Lamont. Wait a minute.
Let me read the statement from A&E Networks. "We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ, which are based on his personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty. His personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely."
One last question for Marc Lamont Hill which is just about A&E here. I think A&E had been pretty courageous in what they've done actually in moving subject through to this given it's a $400 million businesses. I've got here on my desk all these merchandise...
HILL: Courageous. I...
MORGAN: ... from Duck Dynasty. I think it's pretty courageous.
FERGUSON: Courageous?
HILL: I'm not sure...
MORGAN: Marc Lamont Hill?
HILL: I'm not sure it's courageous.
FERGUSON: Wow.
HILL: I don't think they're doing to protect Gala view.
FERGUSON: Thank you.
HILL: I think they might be invested in Gala's View right because I think they might principally believe this -- in principle believe this, however, they're protecting that $415 million dynasty. They're worried that if they don't take this position -- that people will run away from them. And they're right because as a viewer I wouldn't watch it anymore. Many people wouldn't watch it anymore. There would be too much controversy around this. Let's not...
MORGAN: OK. I have to leave you there. We're going to leave it there. And if you want to buy your bubbles, you can -- here we go and buy them if you want to. I think I'll give them this.
When we come back, a woman who's never shy when it comes to speaking her mind -- Star Jones. Let's hear what she's going to say about all this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MORGAN: The Duck Dynasty on road show has no sign of slowing down. My next guest going to say about all this as you expect. Here with me is Star Jones, of course attorney and national spokesperson for the National Association of Professional Women.
Star, so what do you make of all this? So am I right to feel as intense as I feel?
STAR JONES, LAWYER, NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON FOR NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL WOMEN: You know what, absolutely. As an American citizen, you should feel outrage whenever anybody claims to love America but clearly can't stand a bunch of Americans. And I understand that traditional Christian marriage definition is that between a man and a woman. But when the government issues special rights and privileges to the status of being married, then the equal protection clause of the United States Constitution demands that we treat people equally in the United States.
This is a no-brainer for me. I don't even know why we're having these arguments. And even more importantly, I don't even know why we're giving the amount of time we are to someone whose opinions are to the right fringe of what is going on culturally in the United States of America and more importantly what is legal. We're having a discussion about something that should never even be considered right now. You don't treat people differently, that's just the bottom line. That's not the way America is supposed to do.
MORGAN: We've got a statement here from the Robertson family released earlier. It says, "We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support. The family spent much time in prayer. Since learning of A&E's decision, we want you to know, first and foremost we are a family rooted in our faith in God and I believe that the Bible is His word. Also those Phil's on filthy comments to the reporter would cause his belief so grounded in the teachings of the Bible. Phil is a godly man. He follows what the Bible says and the greatest command is love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
Phil would never incite or encourage hate. We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. We have had a successful working relationship with A&E, but as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. We are in discussions with A&E to see what that means for the future of Duck Dynasty. Again, thank you for your continued support of our family.
Now, it's very interesting situation there, were they, because Duck Dynasty is a phenomenon. It gets 14 million viewers. It's hugely popular and there are a lot vast ways of Americans who love this. And of course the picture that is portrayed in Duck Dynasty is very removed from the reality of what we have heard from this gentleman in the last 24 hours. They portrayed as a very soft, kind, God-loving family. You don't hear any of this bigotry coming out in the show.
So, is it the fact that we've on this I guess the Robert Duck under belly of Duck Dynasty that is the problem here.
JONES: We are celebrating a part of the American culture that a lot of people have never experienced. You know, I'm from North Carolina and although I wouldn't say I'm from the back woods of North Carolina. I have encountered people throughout my lifetime that are very similar to the people on Duck Dynasty.
And I make no judgment against them or value or value judgment about them. However, I can tell you this is not some kind to show that I would be watching. I'm not a reality show watcher. I'm not interested in seeing people being made fun of. And in all honesty that would be the only reason why I'll be watching this show, is to giggle at how silly and ridiculous this particular family is.
So, I'm not their target audience. But I am the target audience of sponsors of that show. I am the target audience, women are the target audience of any in general, some of the other show and A&E made a business decision. They decided to weigh whether or not Duck Dynasty in all its glory is going to alienate so many of their viewers that they would either turn off the television or not support the sponsors that put the show on.
It was a cost-benefit analysis. They made the decision and that is their right. It's the kind of business decision that networks do every single day and I don't think -- know why we're making such a huge deal about this guy. This guy is acting like a red neck and what did you expect them to act like.
MORGAN: I think the answer, yeah, the answer Star is, as I said it's such a big show, it's a phenomenon in America 14 million viewers.
JONES: There's a lot of phenomenal shows. But, you know, what, have you seen some of those other reality shows. You have women that jump across cable and slap each other on the face. You have girls who are celebrated for having children out of wedlock. These are the kinds of shows that we're celebrating nowadays quite frankly and you're all surprised?
MORGAN: And let me ask you this Star. Let me ask you this.
JONES: They would be a bigot or a racist on a show. MORGAN: Let me -- no, I'm not surprise at all. But let me ask you this. Given that we've now heard this via TMZ this sermon he made in 2010, before he joined Duck Dynasty. Clearly A&E must have known his views on Christianity, on gays on that sermon and so on. And yet they still hired them for their show.
So, are they able to maintain credibility by not saying we're disgusted but what he say given that they hired a guy who they must have known had already got these views.
JONES: I'm not even sure if they would -- what did they do? A Google search on whether or not the Duck Dynasty dude had said some offensive things. No, they looked at him with his weird-looking beard and thought he's going to be good television. They made a business decisions then that benefited them and they made a business decision now that benefited them. That's the way the business works.
And I don't want us to sit here and be naive about it. If for any reason the gay community, the African-American community, the community of thinking people who say I, you know, I'm not really offended by this. I'm over it. He'd be back on television.
The only reason why he is not on television is because they did a cost-benefit analysis and they decided that it was more beneficial to suspend him right now. That's the only reason.
MORGAN: Star, I can't let you go without mentioning Barbara Walters who I interviewed this week, who is retiring and one of your old colleagues. Obviously what do you make to Barbara, what an extraordinary career she's had, isn't she?
JONES: I have to tell you, I said many times I've had two great mentors in my career. My mentor as a lawyer is of course Johnnie Cochran and my mentor in media was without question Barbara Walters and it's one of the things that makes me very proud in representing NAPW Women. Professional women in broadcasting would not have achieved what we have without what Barbara did for all practical purposes. I'm not sure that any of us would have been able to take on some of the challenges that she took on when she first began in this business. She taught me the art of the second question, the first question is easy as an interviewer.
I still think she's one of the best interviewers I've ever seen on television.
MORGAN: Yeah.
JONES: And I'm so glad that we have put our relationship in this proper contact. I still -- I consider her to be not only a friend, but a colleague and somebody who I will value their friendship and what she did for me, bringing me as a part of the view for the rest of my professional career.
I'm proud to know her, but I also have to tell you I know BW, I don't trust she's retiring. I don't believe it and I'll believe it when I see it. MORGAN: I totally agree with you. And I honestly hope that she doesn't. But Star as always great to talk to you and have a great holiday.
JONES: You also.
MORGAN: Coming next, my top unforgettable moments from the show of 2013, we ask you to vote your favorite. I reveal them when we come back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: As you can see I'm now in a straight jacket. This is probably every second amendment fans absolute dream.
That is bull penis.
ANTHONY BOURDAIN, HOST PARTS UNKNOWN: Yeah. Nothing is pressing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Are you still wearing women's clothes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Currently?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only to appear taller that's all. The heels do make you a little taller. We were told. I'm sure you'll recall the drag element that's just going to be for the pilot. That's just going to be -- we're going to get the series sold that way and then you guys can go on and be hip, clever, young guy. So we said ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put it right there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... that was that. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: One of the most jolly moments of the year on this show. Tom Hanks turning around with Peter Scolari that was voted number 10 in your top 10 memorable moments on Piers Morgan Live of the year of CNN Entertainment Correspondent, Nischelle Turner joins me out to discuss the other nine along with Marl Lamont Hill who's still with us, Bill Werde, Editor Director of Billboard Magazine and of course we have Heather Thomson, the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Yummie.
Welcome to you all. A veritable all-start panel. Let's take it one now. This is number nine, it was Rachel Jeantel when she explained she was of course the key witness, Trayvon Martin's friend, when she explained the N-word. It was a fascinating moment. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RACHEL JEANTEL, TRAYVON MARTIN'S FRIEND: It starts from a N-I-G-G-A. Nigga ... MORGAN: What does that mean to you? That way of spelling. What does that word mean to you?
JEANTEL: That means a male.
MORGAN: A black male?
JEANTEL: No. Any kind of male.
MORGAN: Black or white?
JEANTEL: Black -- any kind, Chinese could say Nigga, but nigger or nigger. I advise you not to be by black people, because they're not going to have it like that.
MORGAN: Why?
JEANTEL: Because that's the racist word.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Marc Lamont Hill it's sort of entertaining that exchange. One of the also I think became one of the greatest themes of the year was the use of words in America. The N-word, the F-word with the Alec Baldwin thing and so on.
Where have we ended up you think at the year after debating all of this?
HILL: Right where we started.
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Not allowed. Yeah.
HILL: I mean, it's really clear for me like white people don't do it, you know what I mean? But ...
BILL WERDE, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, BILLBOARD: No, but she just said, I am an N-I-G-G-A. She just said it.
HILL: And that's when she and I wildly disagree ...
TURNER: Disagree.
WERDE: You and I wildly agree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. Exactly.
HEATHER THOMSON, FOUNDER AND CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER OF YUMMIE: You can't open that door again, you know. You got to close that door ...
HILL: Yeah.
THOMSON: ... and opening that door to lead any room for that whatsoever is a big mistake.
HILL: Right.
TURNER: But the good thing is we're talking about it. Again, I think the more we talk about it ...
HILL: Yeah.
TURNER: ... even though Marc is right, we haven't gotten very far, the more we talk about it, the better it is because it keep ...
MORGAN: I agree. I actually think that's a very valid point. That's what I believe about. It's the more you debate it publicly, the less of a stigma thing it becomes.
HILL: Well, I just want to say ...
MORGAN: Next we'll see number eight now.
WERDE: ... (inaudible) things about that.
HILL: Can I just say something, Piers?
MORGAN: Yeah, exactly. But let's -- and we're going to be quick through this. This is from number eight, this is Warren Buffet, the richest most successful businessman in America. This was an amazing moment. He played "My way" on a ukulele. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN BUFFET: I've lived the life that's full and traveled each and every highway and more, much more than this, I did it my way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Bill Werde, more on Buffet. What does he say about America? This guy is an extraordinary man in many ways, isn't he?
WERDE: Yeah, absolutely. I mean that's a real point at the moment. This is -- I think he's 83 years old and he's kind of, you know, singing this poignant version of My Way that -- I kind of felt that. That's said I don't think he's going to be stepping away from a pathway anytime soon to take on his ukulele.
THOMSON: No. The best part of about it though is he did it to court a woman back in the day. That's why he learned how ...
MORGAN: Yeah?
THOMSON: ... to play the ukulele.
WERDE: OK.
THOMSON: So I mean that is just charming, charming and charming (inaudible).
HILL: I suspect he doesn't need ukulele to court a woman now with a billion dollars though. THOMSON: Yeah. Now times they are changing.
WERDE: It's just like it's back on whatever the (inaudible) ...
MORGAN: Well, I got to say I love Warren Buffet ...
THOMSON: Yeah, me too.
MORGAN: ... I thought he was a breath of fresh air. Very, very normal nice guy. Let's watch -- this is number seven. Dr. Oz giving me a flu shot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: A very large needle.
DR. MEHMET OZ, DR. OZ SHOW HOST: I love this stuff. And literally the biggest needle I could find. They are not larger. Please, give me a muscle.
MORGAN: OK.
OZ: That's it?
MORGAN: That's the biggest muscle you've seen for a while.
OZ: All right. That's it. That's it. One, two, three, and all please ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Now, two things happened in the three weeks that followed is that I got flu not once ...
TURNER: Three?
MORGAN: ... but twice.
TURNER: Three?
MORGAN: Twice. And I right now, Nischelle Turner ...
TURNER: Yes.
MORGAN: ... I remonstrated with Dr. Oz about it and he told me that the government apparently were choosing the wrong strain for the vast majority of Americans. So there were millions of people like me getting these completely unnecessary wrong shots. Did you have one?
TURNER: No. Absolutely not and when I saw that, I was thinking, "Piers, you are crazy ... " because I am the one who always says, "I'm not going to get one of those shots because I think I'll get the flu and I got doctors always telling me, "No. You can't say that. You need to get your flu shot." And I never get one and I have not gotten the flu.
WERDE: I've never got the shot.
TURNER: But now, once we get the flu this season because I still didn't get a flu shot. But no, I was ...
MORGAN: Bill Werde, I mean I -- Bill Werde, I never got the flu until I have the flu shot.
WERDE: I mean, I used to get flu shots but after watching this segment I'm never getting a flu shot because I don't know what to tell you.
THOMSON: I have an immunosuppressed kid and so for me the flu shot is about like protecting him. It's like, you know, the thing about the flu shot is supposed to warn off like all -- like tragic flu everywhere where people are spreading the flu round and round that aren't taking care of their germs ...
MORGAN: Yeah.
THOMSON: ... aren't taking care of themselves. So, you know ...
MORGAN: OK.
THOMSON: ... it is I think the lesser of two evils.
MORGAN: We're going to come back with a triumvirate of glory. Charlie Sheen's snoop line and Jennifer Lawrence and if that doesn't keep people tuned in, nothing will.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MORGAN: We're back for more of the top 10 moments from this show from 2013. Number six, Charlie Sheen who returned to my show this year, an interesting reaction when I showed him a clip of his previous visit even before the height of Sheen mania.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Even if you do follow that program ...
CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: Right.
MORGAN: They can work and ...
SHEEN: Sure.
MORGAN: ... and lots of people would be watching this thing if weren't for me.
SHEEN: And then I can have a life like theirs? I'm going to pass.
MORGAN: Really? Why?
SHEEN: Why? Because I'm a winner and their lives looked like they're, you know, ruled by losers.
MORGAN: What? You just watched there as yourself.
SHEEN: It's a little cringeable. A little bit cringeable and it's a little bit hard to watch. I mean, I thought I looked OK. But no, it's a guy who's involved in something other worldly at the time. It's very ...
MORGAN: You were like -- we thought you were ...
SHEEN: It's very bizarre.
MORGAN: ... at war with everybody.
SHEEN: Yes. Yeah.
MORGAN: Literally at war with everyone?
SHEEN: Yeah. Whether they were picking a fight or not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Nischelle Turner ...
TURNER: Yes.
MORGAN: ... wouldn't it be quite nice wouldn't it if we can replay interviews to all of our interview subjects.
TURNER: Oh my God.
MORGAN: It'll be like an extraordinary moment for them all.
TURNER: That's what I love so much about this, is you made him look at himself. And if we could do that, if all of us could just really look at ourselves and see how we come across sometimes. We'd be so ashamed and maybe we'd all be better people. But I love this so much too, Piers because at that point we thought we were all watching the destruction of Charlie Sheen right before our eyes and look at him now. Like his ...
MORGAN: Yes, yes.
TURNER: ... his like an everlasting gob (ph) stopper. He'd just go BFO.
WERDE: You said that.
MORGAN: I love that.
WERDE: This is his moment, right? We're supposed to be watching Charlie Sheen look at himself and now he's healed, right? We're supposed to see that he's see the error of his ways. But yet he watches this and one of the first things out of his mouth is, I think I look good.
TURNER: That was in the day.
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: Not only was a good in jest but that's what celebrities do they're mane. That's OK, you know, it was like -- but it's not crazy. It doesn't seem crazy in any way it makes me that.
THOMSON: But he was surprised to be looked good, I mean he was surprised he looked good. That's a pure example of crack his whack, you know, let's go back and look at your self after you've been smoking some and you probably not going to like it too.
MORGAN: Well let me also say that Charlie Sheen -- I first have met Charlie Sheen 20 years ago in Aspen, Colorado. He was crack as then, he was crack as two years ago, he was crack as last year, and I reckon he'd be crack as in 20 years that's why I love him. So let's crack in favor. Let's go to the next one number five Snoop Lion this was great. It's one of the great revelations of the show in the year, watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIE NELSON, SINGER-SONGWRITER: I mean me and Snoop smoke a lot and every country with then yes, I guess, you know, I was in Amsterdam one time and Snoop called me and he want me to sing on his record and I said OK. He said where are you? And I said I'm in Amsterdam. So he caught the next flight and come over and we recorded a song together.
SNOOP LION, SINGER-SONGWRITER: On that trip in Amsterdam we had so much fun we, you know, we were -- our minds is going so we went to Kentucky Fried Chicken. So we ordered some food and they brought the food into the drive thru so they had a box of chicken right here. So me and Willie sit side by side and we put our hands at the same time and we grabbed the same piece of chicken and I said, you know what? That's yours Willie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Marc Lamont Hill, I mean can you picture the scene the Kentucky Fried Chicken with Snoop Lion and Willie Nelson two of the richest stars in the word squabbling over their chicken legs.
HILL: It's amazing to me, I'm surprised they can even find their way to Kentucky Fried Chicken between the two of them there. I've never seen two people more obsessed with weed than Snoop and Willie Nelson kind of really awesome moment of inter generational like reaper (ph).
MORGAN: And Bill -- sir Werde, now Bill Werde -- Let me go to Bill quickly because Bill you got the year-end music issue of Billboard coming up featuring Bruno Mars his been on the show, great guy his on the cover. On sale now, tell me about Snoop Lion and his reinvention in the last year or so. Away from the old Snoop to -- well from Dogg to Lion, what of you make of it?
WERDE: The funniest part about Snoop Dogg, Snoop Lion, Snoop anything he wants to call him so Snoop is Snoop.
MORGAN: Yes. WERDE: Right, like there's probably no artist that is more strongly identified with a particular persona and you just saw it than Snoop. So it's kind of funny to me when he changes his names. Because it's not like anything else is changing.
HILL: But, you know, he (inaudible).
MORGAN: I can say I love - I love Snoop. Let's go to number four, this is Jennifer Lawrence who gate-crushed my show. She was late and then suddenly burst onto the set, this was quite remarkable, watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Wait she's approaching at high speed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what I'm talking about.
LAWRENCE: I'm sorry.
MORGAN: My goodness.
LAWRENCE: I was going to camel and I got pulled off camel on ...
MORGAN: Never mind camel ...
LAWRENCE: ... apparently late.
MORGAN: We don't care about camel. This is ...
LAWRENCE: I'm so sorry.
MORGAN: ... Breaking News.
LAWRENCE: Hi.
MORGAN: This is as good as it gets, the world's hottest actress.
LAWRENCE: I'm sorry.
MORGAN: Better late than never young lady.
LAWRENCE: I had no idea I was late.
MORGAN: How are you?
LAWRENCE: Hi. I'm good.
MORGAN: You look fabulous.
LAWRENCE: Thank you.
MORGAN: How was camel I don't care, don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Heather Thomson, are we all in agreement that she's just absolutely fabulous Jennifer Lawrence in almost every way.
THOMSON: She is amazing is amazing and so refreshing Jennifer Lawrence because she's so real and so easy and realistic and, you know, I tell her rock what you got Jennifer because she, you know, she is doing her thing and so amazingly refreshing.
TURNER: Piers, you know, you made some...
MORGAN: Attention is -- we got to move on. Attention is now amounting, we'll going to move on to the top three. I can tell after the break when we got Ricky Gervais and Bill Clinton but I'll leave the number one hovering in the air you maybe able to guess actually, been a certain theme of the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MORGAN: We've arrived at the time (ph), we're ready for the three moments of the show of 2013. Number three is a joke at my expense by the brilliant Ricky Gervais.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERVAIS: Why does Piers Morgan wear a pink tie?
MORGAN: What's the answer?
GERVAIS: Because he's a (inaudible)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: I need to know what's the bleep there.
THOMSON: That's just annoying.
HILL: Can you share? Let us know. We want to know.
MORGAN: So very quickly I want you all to fill in the blank. What did you think he said? Nischelle?
TURNER: Because he's fabulous.
MORGAN: Thank you. I think you're getting the same here. Bill.
BILL: Can I go for bleep?
HILL: Don't do it.
TURNER: Don't do it.
THOMSON: Because he's fashionable.
WERDE: Because he's a freaking bleephole (ph) that's what he says.
HILL: He stole my anchor. He stole my (inaudible).
MORGAN: It was actually even worse, Marc Lamont Hill Piers Morgan is a bleep.
HILL: That was my guess. He just stole my answer.
THOMSON: Bleeping is annoying. Everybody swear then you have to watch your language but you can't bleep a joke. I mean that's ...
MORGAN: I see. If you ...
THOMSON: ... -- I'm nodding on the joke.
WERDE: I think the answer is (inaudible)
MORGAN: You heard what he said. You would definitely want to bleep me. I'm not saying he wasn't accurate but I'm saying you couldn't air it on family or so others. Let's go to number two.
HILL: What was the answer? You got to share man.
MORGAN: Well, obviously if we bleeped it the first time I can't give you an answer now. It was earthy English remark.
THOMSON: OK.
MORGAN: Let's go to number -- number two is Bill Clinton. His brilliant moment when something pulled out a pair of shades and began to imitate Bono from U2. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Well, I'm Irish, you know and we, Irish, we can imitate anybody.
But alas, I've been singing so long, screaming loud at these concerts that I'm hoarse. So I got to be careful with my voice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Bill Werde, you're misdimuted.
WERDE: He sounds like an animated leprechaun from lucky charms. He doesn't sound like Bono.
THOMSON: It was fun to do it.
WERDE: Bono imitation of Clinton was amazing.
TURNER: As much better.
HILL: Bono is a professional entertainer. You have to grade him on the curve. I give you a ...
TURNER: Professional entertainer.
HILL: Well in different kind of way but I'll give Bill Clinton an A for effort.
TURNER: Me too.
HILL: The fact that a former president can sit there and do that, it's pretty awesome. Yeah.
THOMSON: Really fun. He should stick to his act of Bono. I do think Bono killed it went out.
HILL: Oh, yeah since Bono definitely won the battle of impersonations.
MORGAN: OK. We hear now the drum roll. This is number one. This was the, as voted by viewers all day long on Twitter, on the social media, on the Internet, this single, most popular clip from my show of the year and I think it plays very well to the main theme of the show as today too. Let's watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX JONES, HOST OF THE ALEX JONES SHOW: Hitler took the guns, Stalin took the guns, Mao took the guns, Fidel Castro took the guns...
MORGAN: OK. How many ...
JONES: ...Hugo Chavez took the guns. And I'm here to tell you, 1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms. It doesn't matter how many lemmings you get out there on the street begging for them to have their guns taken. We will not relinquish them. Do you understand? That's why you're going to fail, I mean, establishment knows. No matter how much propaganda, the Republic will rise again when you attempt to take our guns.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Piers Morgan, I'm a crazy gun man. If you just let me keep talking Piers Morgan the world with all the crazy gun, you want to ask me tough questions, I can keep talking at everybody, no.
THOMSON: The scary thing is to know that that guy has a gun and probably has several guns.
MORGAN: No, I don't -- I see -- I can confirm he has 50 guns and ...
THOMSON: Oh, my God.
TURNER: Wow.
HILL: Of course, he does.
MORGAN: He was led literally kicking and screaming by CNN security into the street. When he was last seen screaming his way down Fifth Avenue I think about ten minutes later.
Nischelle Turner.
TURNER: Yes. MORGAN: Let me ask you this. Because actually underneath all the kind of blusters and after this big petition. He was the guy that launched the petition to have me deported and President Obama, I'm sure you're all personally grateful stepped in to save me for the American people. God knows it's been a hugely popular decision by the President, probably explains his poll number.
Now, Nischelle Turner, where are we with guns in America? It seems to me very dispiriting that a year after Sandy, there being 26, I think it is more school shootings and not a single change for legislation, federally in this country.
TURNER: You know and that's a good point Piers. I think that the conversation is still being held. Now, what's going to be done with it, we don't know. I think there are a lot of people not as Alex who do feel that way, though, that who feel like maybe their rights are being encroached on and they do believe in the second amendment. They did grow up with guns and they feel like they're responsible gun owners so they don't want anything to change but I think there's an even larger segment of the population use this. Maybe we don't need our guns. Take it away but we do need some regulations
THOMSON: Absolutely.
TURNER: I think that's where we're going.
HILL: Exactly.
MORGAN: OK. Bill Werde you're shaking your head. What do you think?
WERDE: Yes, I mean, you know, she said the conversation is happening and the truth of the matter is the conversation sadly isn't even happening. If you go to the Google tonight guys every time there's a school shooting for like 6 hours, the conversations happening and the conversations just goes away.
THOMSON: Listen, if the guns were like they were in 1776, you know, by the time that you filled in a gun powder, the more will be emptied. I mean, we're not talking about the same type of weapons ...
MORGAN: Yeah.
HILL: Exactly, right.
THOMSON: ... we were talking then and they're needs to be changed.
WERDE: There is few things focused.
MORGAN: Marc Lamont Hill, you and I debated this on and off throughout the year ...
HILL: Yeah.
MORGAN: ... and it's a passion of mine because in Britain, we had a huge outrage in the '90s and we changed everything. We banned assault rifles, assault weapons, handguns all of it. And we just haven't had a school shooting since 1996, 26 in America in the last year since Sandy Hook. Now, what is going to change this?
HILL: It's going to take people to have the courage and strength to stand up against a very powerful. Those small gun lobby, they have lots of money. They're well-resourced but they don't represent the dominant opinion in America.
THOMSON: Nice.
HILL: We have to elect people in to office who are willing to stand up (inaudible).
TURNER: But what if the dominant opinion Marc, if the dominant opinion, let's get rid of guns to the dominant opinion, let's regulate reasonable (inaudible).
HILL: Reasonable -- I think reasonable regulations. People who believe in the second amendment and the right to bear arms but don't believe that the right to bear arms means the right to bear any kind of arm at any time without any limitations. I think it can be common sense gun reform that will reduce the number of school shootings considerably.
THOMSON: Absolutely.
MORGAN: I agree. Well, Marc Lamont Hill, got to leave it there Nischelle Turner, Bill Werde, Heather Thomson, thank you for being a terrific panel and for all your contributions to the show throughout the year. Please come back in the New Year. This will be my last show of this year. We'll be back January the 5th and after the break we will reveal what's happening tomorrow night rather exciting little thing is happening on the show tomorrow night. Doesn't involve me, don't you please dare.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MORGAN: Tomorrow night, as he caps (ph) is informing our guest is the always controversial Glenn Beck, wait until you -- what he had -- hear what he says about Chris Christie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN BECK: Libertarianism is the future and that is everybody be cool to each other, everybody live responsibly and live freedom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, that sounds really good. But let me ask you about --
BECK: (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Let me ask you about the real world. Chris Christie is the real world.
BECK: Is the real world. No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, Chris Christie is almost totally ...
BECK: Now, Chris Christie is a fat nightmare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: A fat nightmare. Yes, well, looking forward to watching that tomorrow night. That's all for us tonight, the CNN's Special Extraordinary People hosted by Anderson Cooper and Robin Meade starts right now.
