Piers Morgan calls rival "pathetic" in explosive Sky News clash

Piers Morgan has called Michigan's newly elected senator Abdul El-Sayed 'pathetic' after a heated confrontation between El-Sayed and Sky News US correspondent James Matthews went viral.

The exchange took place outside a Michigan polling station on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, during the American midterm elections.

El-Sayed, a Democrat, had just won a historic race to become the first Muslim American elected to the U.S. Senate.

Matthews approached him for a brief interview about the victory.

The encounter quickly turned hostile.

'Are you registered to vote in the state of Michigan?' El-Sayed asked Matthews.

When Matthews explained he was a British journalist covering the election, El-Sayed questioned why he should participate.

'You know how many votes I want to get in the UK? Zero,' El-Sayed said.

'I am never running for office in the UK.'

Matthews argued that the election mattered internationally because American lawmakers exercise influence beyond their constituencies.

El-Sayed dismissed Sky News' American audience, claiming that 'like five people watch it here.'

Footage shows El-Sayed placing both hands on Matthews' shoulders during the conversation.

He then asked the correspondent to stop following him.

Matthews maintained he was simply trying to ask questions.

'I am not chasing you around, I am asking you questions,' Matthews responded.

El-Sayed said he had answered all the questions he cared to address for viewers in the UK.

He again asked Matthews to stop following him.

The video of the confrontation quickly spread across social media.

It garnered more than 11.3 million views on X within hours.

Sky News shared the footage on X on Wednesday, November 4.

Morgan responded to the post with a sharp rebuke.

'Pathetic, and very patronising, by @AbdulElSayed,' Morgan wrote.

'He should show more respect to the UK and one of our best journalists.'

Morgan's criticism prompted mixed reactions online.

Some users defended the journalist's right to question an incoming American senator.

Others argued that El-Sayed was entitled to decline an interview, particularly after a divisive election campaign.

One X user questioned Morgan's judgement.

'All based off an edited news clipping... of a UK media outlet,' the user wrote.

Another defended El-Sayed.

'Why should a candidate contesting an American election feel obliged to answer a British reporter?' the user asked.

El-Sayed defeated Trump-backed Republican Mike Rogers in the midterm elections.

His victory made him the first Muslim American elected to the U.S. Senate.

The race for Michigan's Senate seat was closely contested.

Matthews' line of questioning was about that election and its implications.

Morgan's intervention added a second layer of controversy to an already viral moment.

The clash highlights a recurring tension in American political journalism.

Candidates sometimes resist answering questions from foreign reporters.

They argue that those journalists cannot vote in their elections.

Journalists counter that U.S. elections have global consequences.

American foreign policy, trade agreements and military decisions affect countries worldwide.

Sky News is a British 24-hour news channel owned by Comcast.

It has a significant international audience, including viewers in the United States.

Morgan is a former newspaper editor and television host.