Christine O'Donnell calls Piers Morgan 'weird' for gay questions, storms out
Thu. August 18, 2011 4:39 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
Los Angeles -
Former Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell stormed away from Piers Morgan's CNN show after he pressed the issue of gay marriage.
O'Donnell was determined to talk about her new book, "Troublemaker: Let's Do What It Takes to Make America Great Again," and didn't appreciate it when Morgan started asking her about her views on sex.
Morgan said her views were relevant, since she had waged a public abstinence campaign when she was younger.
Morgan and O'Donnell were talking over satellite and were not in the same room, which might have made it easier for her to feel like she could leave.
He said later this was the first time in 25 years of journalism that anyone had stormed out.
Here is a clip, and below is a transcript of when the interview started to get testy:
O'DONNELL: Well, why don't you ask me questions about what I say in the chapter called "Our Follower in Chief" where I criticize Barack Obama? You know, why don't we talk about --
MORGAN: Because right now, I'm curious -- right now, I'm curious about whether you support gay marriage.
O'DONNELL: You're borderline being a little bit rude. You know, I obviously --
MORGAN: Really?
O'DONNELL: -- I obviously want to talk about the issues that I choose to talk about in the book.
MORGAN: Do you answer that question in the book?
O'DONNELL: I talk about my religious beliefs, yes. I absolutely do.
MORGAN: I mean, do you talk -- do you talk about gay marriage in the book? O'DONNELL: What relevance is that right now? Is there a piece of legislation? I mean, I shouldn't be voting on anything.
MORGAN: It's obviously one of the most -- it's obviously, as you know, because Michele Bachmann's views and others, it's obviously a highly contentious political issue. I'm just curious what your view is.
You keep saying it's in a book. So, I'm bemused as to why you wouldn't just say it in an interview if it's in the book?
O'DONNELL: Because I don't think it's relevant. It's not a topic that I choose to embrace. I'm not championing it right now. I've been there, done that, gone down that road.
Right now, what I'm trying to do is to promote a book that I hope to be a very inspirational story to people who are part of the Tea Party movement so that they can continue, you know, in this movement to bring America back to the second American Revolution. That's my goal. That's my focus right now.
MORGAN: So, would you agree with Michele Bachmann that we should maybe repeal "don't ask, don't tell"? You should restore that?
O'DONNELL: I'm not talking policies. I'm not running for office. Ask Michele Bachmann what she thinks. Ask the candidates who are running for office what they think.
MORGAN: Why are you being so weird about this?
O'DONNELL: I'm not being weird about this, Piers. I'm not running for office. I'm not promoting a legislative agenda. I'm promoting the policies that I lay out in the book that are mostly fiscal, that are mostly constitutional.
That's why I agreed to come on your show. That's what I want to talk about.
I'm not being weird. You're being a little rude.
MORGAN: I'm baffled as to why you think I'm being rude. I think I'm being rather charming and respectful. I'm just asking questions based on your own public statements and now what you've written in your own book. It's hardly rude to ask you that surely.
O'DONNELL: Well, don't you think as a host, if I say this is what I want to talk about, that's what we should address?
MORGAN: Not really, no. You're a politician.
O'DONNELL: Yes. OK. I'm being pulled away. You know, we turned down another interview for this.
MORGAN: Where are you going? You're leaving?
O'DONNELL: Well, I was supposed to be speaking at the Republican women's club at 6:00, and I chose to be a little late for that not to be -- you know, yes, not to endure rude talk show hosts, but to talk to you about my book and to talk about the issues that I address in my book. Have you read the book?
MORGAN: Yes, but these issues are in your book. That's my point. You do talk about them.
O'DONNELL: OK. All right. Are we off? Are we done?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's still there.
MORGAN: I'm not. I'm still here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says he still wants to talk to you.
MORGAN: It would appear that the interview has just been ended.
O'Donnell was determined to talk about her new book, "Troublemaker: Let's Do What It Takes to Make America Great Again," and didn't appreciate it when Morgan started asking her about her views on sex.
Morgan said her views were relevant, since she had waged a public abstinence campaign when she was younger.
Morgan and O'Donnell were talking over satellite and were not in the same room, which might have made it easier for her to feel like she could leave.
He said later this was the first time in 25 years of journalism that anyone had stormed out.
Here is a clip, and below is a transcript of when the interview started to get testy:
O'DONNELL: Well, why don't you ask me questions about what I say in the chapter called "Our Follower in Chief" where I criticize Barack Obama? You know, why don't we talk about --
MORGAN: Because right now, I'm curious -- right now, I'm curious about whether you support gay marriage.
O'DONNELL: You're borderline being a little bit rude. You know, I obviously --
MORGAN: Really?
O'DONNELL: -- I obviously want to talk about the issues that I choose to talk about in the book.
MORGAN: Do you answer that question in the book?
O'DONNELL: I talk about my religious beliefs, yes. I absolutely do.
MORGAN: I mean, do you talk -- do you talk about gay marriage in the book? O'DONNELL: What relevance is that right now? Is there a piece of legislation? I mean, I shouldn't be voting on anything.
MORGAN: It's obviously one of the most -- it's obviously, as you know, because Michele Bachmann's views and others, it's obviously a highly contentious political issue. I'm just curious what your view is.
You keep saying it's in a book. So, I'm bemused as to why you wouldn't just say it in an interview if it's in the book?
O'DONNELL: Because I don't think it's relevant. It's not a topic that I choose to embrace. I'm not championing it right now. I've been there, done that, gone down that road.
Right now, what I'm trying to do is to promote a book that I hope to be a very inspirational story to people who are part of the Tea Party movement so that they can continue, you know, in this movement to bring America back to the second American Revolution. That's my goal. That's my focus right now.
MORGAN: So, would you agree with Michele Bachmann that we should maybe repeal "don't ask, don't tell"? You should restore that?
O'DONNELL: I'm not talking policies. I'm not running for office. Ask Michele Bachmann what she thinks. Ask the candidates who are running for office what they think.
MORGAN: Why are you being so weird about this?
O'DONNELL: I'm not being weird about this, Piers. I'm not running for office. I'm not promoting a legislative agenda. I'm promoting the policies that I lay out in the book that are mostly fiscal, that are mostly constitutional.
That's why I agreed to come on your show. That's what I want to talk about.
I'm not being weird. You're being a little rude.
MORGAN: I'm baffled as to why you think I'm being rude. I think I'm being rather charming and respectful. I'm just asking questions based on your own public statements and now what you've written in your own book. It's hardly rude to ask you that surely.
O'DONNELL: Well, don't you think as a host, if I say this is what I want to talk about, that's what we should address?
MORGAN: Not really, no. You're a politician.
O'DONNELL: Yes. OK. I'm being pulled away. You know, we turned down another interview for this.
MORGAN: Where are you going? You're leaving?
O'DONNELL: Well, I was supposed to be speaking at the Republican women's club at 6:00, and I chose to be a little late for that not to be -- you know, yes, not to endure rude talk show hosts, but to talk to you about my book and to talk about the issues that I address in my book. Have you read the book?
MORGAN: Yes, but these issues are in your book. That's my point. You do talk about them.
O'DONNELL: OK. All right. Are we off? Are we done?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's still there.
MORGAN: I'm not. I'm still here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says he still wants to talk to you.
MORGAN: It would appear that the interview has just been ended.