Gossip

Alec Baldwin; Piers Morgan; Taylor Swift

Alec Baldwin has vowed to retreat from public life in a new article in which he denounces his gay critics, and calls former colleagues at MSNBC “boring” and “full of s---.” In an “as told to” screed in New York magazine, the actor insists he “never wanted” to host the ill-fated MSNBC show Up Late With Alec Baldwin, which was canceled after just five episodes when an irate Baldwin allegedly called a photographer a “faggot.” Baldwin denies using that word, and complains he was “labeled a homophobic bigot by Andrew Sullivan, Anderson Cooper, and others in the Gay Department of Justice.” Turning on MSNBC, he writes that morning talk show host Joe Scarborough is “neither eloquent nor funny,” and calls Rachel Maddow “phony.” Baldwin vowed to leave new York City and move to Los Angeles, where “you live behind a gate, you get in a car, your interaction with the public is minimal.”

CNN is pulling the plug on Piers Morgan’s prime-time show after just three years, amid dismal ratings. Since taking over from Larry King in 2011, the British former newspaper editor has struggled to connect with his American audience, and alienated many with his outspoken support for gun control. “Look, I am a British guy debating American cultural issues,” said Morgan, “and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it. Lately, we have taken a bath in the ratings.” Former Nightline anchor Bill Weir, whom CNN recently hired away from ABC, is rumored to be a possible replacement.

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