Piers Morgan Books Oprah as First Guest

Larry King’s successor also slams Madonna again

Piers Morgan is betting on the “O” factor for his first night on CNN.

Larry King’s replacement revealed Thursday he’s booked Oprah Winfrey as his first guest when “Piers Morgan Tonight” premieres Jan. 17 -- and took a few pot shots at Madonna for good measure.

In speaking to a group of reporters Thursday in southern California, Morgan called the talk show queen and OWN media mogul the “biggest celebrity in the world.”

“She’s worth nearly $3 billion and it makes her a completely unique character,” he said, according to Access Hollywood.

A former UK tabloid editor known stateside for stints judging “America’s Got Talent,” Morgan said he originally planned a 45-minute sit-down with Winfrey.

But the conversation turned out to be “an incredible interview” and lasted two hours, he said.

While Morgan gushed about Winfrey, he was reportedly less kind when asked about past comments calling Madonna "boring" and having vowed not to book her on his show.

“She’s kind of been an irritant in my life for 20 years, so I’ve banned her from the show,” Morgan reiterated on Thursday. “It’s probably quite childish.”

Morgan has never explained what led to bad blood with him and the pop star. But he did say Thursday Madonna could appear on his show if she apologized to him on-air.

Don’t bet on it.

Lady Gaga’s half her age, twice as good looking, twice as talented and twice as hot, so why would I bother with Madonna,” Morgan told reporters.

Selected Reading: Access Hollywood, Daily News, THR

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