Piers Morgan forcefully confronted Austin Franco, a 19-year-old Cornell University student, who recently refused an internship at a startup because of its Jewish owners. During an interview on Morgan's show 'Uncensored,' Franco doubled down on his stance, stating he had "had bad experiences with Jews" and did not want to be around them, a position Morgan characterized as deeply anti-Semitic.
Franco initially sparked outrage last month with his refusal to interview with the startup. Amidst the ensuing controversy, he has not apologized for his remarks. In the interview, Morgan pressed Franco on the implications of his statements, questioning how he could generalize his negative experiences with a few individuals to an entire religious group of 15 million people. Franco attempted to justify his views by comparing his aversion to working with Jewish people to potential dislikes of other ethnic groups or individuals with dwarfism.
"What you've just said is ridiculous. What on earth has this got to do with midgets?" Morgan responded to the analogy. Franco continued, suggesting that expressing a dislike for a group like "midgets" would be met with less severe criticism than his sentiments about Jewish people.
Morgan accused Franco of being "genuinely anti-Semitic," challenging the student's assertion that refusing to be around Jewish people did not equate to anti-Semitism. Morgan pointed out that Franco's lack of remorse and his continued espousal of such views demonstrated a clear anti-Semitic stance. "The problem, Austin, it’s not that you said something immature or stupid or anything like that because had you then said: 'I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it. I don’t mean the way it came across,' but it’s the opposite with you," Morgan stated.
Morgan expressed dismay at the student's apparent lack of education and remorse, given his privileged position at a top university. "I just find it incredibly depressing that a young man given the privilege that you’ve had, to go to a top university, could be this thick or worse, not care about what you’re saying and the consequences to a huge number of people around the world who see a young arrogant kid who wants to brazenly espouse antisemitism in interviews like this," Morgan said. He concluded the interview by branding Franco "thick," an anti-Semite, and a hypocrite, warning that future employers might view the interview and question his suitability for their companies.
