Is Andrew Tate dead? Piers Morgan tweets explained after Twitter account hacked

Piers Morgan’sTwitter account has disappeared from the social media platform after it appeared that he had been hacked. Morgan is usually very active on Twitter, and is known for posting controversial tweets about everything and anything, including, but not limited to, Meghan Markle.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning (27 December), the former Good Morning Britain presenter’s account tweeted out nearly 100 posts across 50 minutes before Twitter bosses stepped in.

This is what you need to know.

What happened on Twitter?

For almost an hour, a hacker took control of Morgan’s Twitter account and was able to post freely. During that time, the account’s name was changed a number of times, including to “lol” and “Michael”, as well as posting abuse and slurs.

Some of the more tame tweets from when Morgan’s account was hacked include “F**k the queen”, “Get a f**king haircut you ugly bum @BorisJohnson” and calling singer Ed Sheeran a “ginger f**ker”.

The hacker also posted that Andrew Tate, a far-right American-British influencer, had been shot dead in Dubai.

It wrote: “BREAKING NEWS: Andrew Tate has been found shot dead in Dubai.”

Is Andrew Tate dead?

Tate is still alive, and responded to the post announcing his death by quote-tweeting the message from Morgan’s account, and adding: “Hard to kill.”

Tate’s own Twitter accounts have been banned a number of times over the years. Last year, an account that Tate made to get around his previous ban was actually verified by Twitter before it was inevitably banned itself.

Following Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in November, Tate’s five year ban from the site was lifted. Prior to taking over the site, Musk emphasised that one of his main focuses would be protecting free speech and, after buying Twitter, followed through with the controversial policy of unbanning previous banned accounts.

As well as Tate, these accounts also included the likes of former US President Donald Trump, far-right YouTuber Jordan Peterson and Kanye West - however, West was suspended once again by Musk after posting antisemitic tweets.

What has the response been like to the hacking?

Many online have found the funny side of Morgan’s hacking, specifically in regards to Morgan’s own history with hacking.

One person wrote: “Just learning about Piers Morgan’s Twitter account being hacked… Just a reminder that voicemail hacking was rife at the Daily Mirror whilst under Morgan’s editorship. Not nice when it happens to you, hey?!”

Another tweeted: “The great thing about Piers Morgan being hacked is that you can enjoy it because he’s a terrible person and also was editor of the Daily Mirror who just happened to hack people’s voicemails, so this is maybe just a little bitty bit of karma.”

“So good that Twitter is so understaffed that Piers Morgan’s account will remain hacked for hours,” wrote another.

Referring to Musk’s ownership of Twitter, another user wrote: “Piers Morgan has been hacked for at least 50 minutes now. Hard to imagine it would’ve lasted this long for such a high profile account before Musk fired everybody.”

How can I keep my Twitter account safe?

If you’re concerned about your own account getting hacked, this is the advice that Twitter itself has to offer for keeping your profile safe: