Keith Olbermann, Piers Morgan Duel On Twitter

A spat between two outspoken media personalities broke out Thursday evening after Keith Olbermann publicly criticized Piers Morgan on Twitter.

Olbermann used Christine O'Donnell's walking off of Morgan's Wednesday show to take a jab at him.

"Who walks out on @PiersMorgan tonight? I'm betting on...the audience (as usual)," Olbermann wrote. It didn't take long for the feud-happy Morgan to respond with a dig at Olbermann's ratings (which are considerably lower than his own since Olbermann moved to Current TV). An hour later Morgan upped the ante, calling Olbermann a "coward" and challenging him come on his CNN show to debate him.

The two men have a history. Back in January, Morgan announced that he was banning Olbermann temporarily from his show. (This is one of Morgan's favorite things to do.) He said he was blacklisting Olbermann to "confuse and bemuse him, and hopefully engender a violent reaction.”

Olbermann responded to the challenge tweet by writing that Morgan had been badgering him to come on the show, after "banning him for life." He then got in a phone hacking joke before saying good night to his undoubtedly fired up followers.

See the back and forth below:

Comments

[ellen63]

05:05 PM on 08/24/2011

The only way the Morgan can seem to draw attention to himself is by getting into spats with this one and that one. His interviews certainly do not do the trick. In Part II of the Huntsman interview he shamelessly flattered the candidate's wife for her good looks. Later, the Morgan configured a question in true tabloid drama: he drummed up a scenario in which one of Huntman's sons, training as a Navy Seal, might suffer the same fate as the SEALS in the recent helicopter attack and knowing this, if elected, how would Huntsman, as Commander In Chief, handle such a tragic circumstance. Unlike the undistinguished Morgan, Huntsman and his wife answered the Morgan convoluted question with both dispatch and grace. CNN, the Morgan is an embarrassment. Moreover, he's ill-equipped to cover Presidential politics. All he does is try to create conflict to get headlines for himself. The Morgan just strikes me as having no interest in general in what the people he interviews have to say. When he doesn't interrupt with an inanity, he suffocates his guests' words with his loud laugh that sounds more like a cough. Patricia Burstein P.S. I am thinking of a new career for myself--orchestrating the firing of the Morgan.

[paroxario]

02:49 PM on 08/24/2011

Let's hope that Piers Morgan will ban himself from his show!

[Quitcherbichin]

09:12 PM on 08/23/2011

Both of these yahoos remind me of two ugly girls mud wrestling.

[madame fate]

07:18 PM on 08/23/2011

I think they should be put in a boxing ring with those giant boxing gloves that Octomom and her opponent had and let them box themselves stupid. Won't take long. Then ship Morgan back to England where he can pull his face into any number of sour poses for as long as he likes. I can't stand that prig.

Why do we keep getting rude, snotty Englishmen on our tv shows?

[xsm941f]

06:12 PM on 08/23/2011

Girls, girls, stop! No hair pulling!

[Titus Pullo]

06:01 PM on 08/23/2011

Dou.c-he, meet nozzle

[ellen63]

03:59 PM on 08/23/2011

The Morgan specializes in silly spats. He's still milking the Christine O'Donnell walkout for more buzz.The Morgan repeatedly tried last night to get Jon Huntsman, Jr. to vilify his Republican (Tea Party) challengers on air so the Morgan might grab some headlines albeit a day late. Even more fatuous: the Morgan attempted to get Huntsman to say, if nominated, he would select Michele Bachmann as his running mate "to make sweet music," in Morgan's talk. Huntsman didn't bite.Although I remain an Obama supporter, I find Huntsman to be the best of the current breed of Republican candidates because he is thoughtful about his positions and also as Ambassador to China learned Mandarin. (I was expecting the Morgan to reference Donald Trump's China-eating-our-lunch refrain yet again). If Huntsman could take the time to learn Mandarin, why can't the Morgan study English. Oddly, none of the BBC anchors or reporters or British intelligentsia speak with his bizarre pronunciation and enunciation. CNN might also enroll the Morgan in a course, Interviewing 101. Patricia Burstein

[Lisica]

02:55 PM on 08/23/2011

What a surprise: Olbermann involved (in fact starts) yet another childish feud to get attention. It's getting old, Keith.

[TruthResearcher]

01:12 PM on 08/23/2011

It's criminal to put Piers name in the same sentence as Keith's. Piers wishes he could be 1/10th as good as Keith.

[Ricky Bobby]

11:27 AM on 08/23/2011

Keith is bitter and clings to his Obama Manifesto.

[TOOMUCHTlME]

03:48 PM on 09/03/2011

I was gonna disagree with you, but after seeing your name I realized it would have been for naught.

[GeoNorth]

09:18 AM on 08/23/2011

Last night, on the season premiere of Top Gear (British version), Jeremy Clarkson described the feeling of driving an updated Jaguar XK-E as "the same tingly feeling you get when somebody has just given you permission to set Piers Morgan on fire."

[mjeffn]

04:54 PM on 08/23/2011

Holly shite! I've gotta drive one of those XK-Es. I live for the tingly feeling.

[mustardhead98]

09:00 AM on 08/23/2011

I don't think either of them have any reason to think they're better than the other. Both are sinking ships.

[merger]

04:25 AM on 08/23/2011

Children!!

[Sh00Fly]

01:18 AM on 08/23/2011

So when is KO not in a feud?

[Ricky Bobby]

11:24 AM on 08/23/2011

Was KO an only child?

[Sh00Fly]

12:21 PM on 08/23/2011

I beloved he is but am not certain.

I do know that he's Mike Tyson's cousin by marriage.
And I know that he's never been married and has no children.

It's kind of funny how RM called A.Cooper out but not KO.

[TOOMUCHTlME]

03:51 PM on 09/03/2011

There is so much ignorance emanating from the right, a constant feud is necessary. Ignorance is relentless as proven by your posts here.

[rjaxone]

01:17 AM on 08/23/2011

Good grief: How can such petty little schoolboys have any credibility when it comes to commenting on important issues of the day... >

"Hit you last, Keith."

"No you didn't Piers. I hit you last...."

OMG > Send em both to their rooms....