‘Astonishing Coincidence!’ Piers Morgan Calls Out Guest For Losing Hearing When Asked ‘Who Pays You’

Writer Michael Tracey said his audio cut out right as he was being asked if he is paid by “any of the men” tied to Jeffrey Epstein during an appearance on Piers Morgan’s YouTube show on Tuesday.

Tracey — who has cast doubt on many of the claims made by women who said they were victimized by Epstein — was in the middle of a heated exchange with fellow Substack reporter Tara Palmeri over how the Epstein files have been covered when the technical difficulty happened. He argued the real “conspiracy” is the “brainless hysteria” that Palmeri and other reporters have stoked, making Epstein into a bigger scandal than necessary.

“Have you ever actually listened to any of the tapes that the Palm Beach police, have you listened to any of the girls they interviewed?” Palmeri asked him a moment later.

“I’ve listened to them all,” Tracey shot back.

He continued, “You think Virginia Roberts Giuffre is credible? She had nothing to do with that initial Palm Beach investigation. We’re talking about your former journalist collaborator who had to recant allegations against [Alan] Dershowitz, had to—”

“Let her speak, please,” Morgan jumped in to say.

That’s when things went sideways for a minute.

“Who do you work for, Michael?” Palmeri asked.

“I’m sorry, what?” Tracy said, while adjusting his earpiece.

“Like, who’s paying you? Who do you work for?” Palmeri continued. “I think a lot of people are wondering this, because I’ve never seen anyone quite like you going after victims of sex crimes and attacking them like this. So you must be getting paid by someone in power who does not like these accusations… I think it’s fair to ask, are you being paid by any of the men who’ve been accused by Jeffrey Epstein?”

Tracey continued to mess with his earpiece as Palmeri asked him the question.

He then threw up his left hand and said, “I’m having trouble hearing right now. I wish I could respond to whatever nonsense she just blurted out. If she’s suggesting I’m implicated in something, then what defamatory nonsense.”

Morgan found the bad timing amusing.

“Astonishing. An astonishing coincidence that you suddenly lost your hearing when you were asked a very difficult question,” Morgan said. “And rather telling, I may say.”

“I swear to God!” Tracey responded.

Palmeri then asked Morgan to ask Tracey her question, considering he could still hear the host; Tracey flipped out once he heard Morgan ask if he was paid to “smear” victims.

“See, rather than defend the merits of her journalist output, which she can’t, because it’s indefensible, what does she do? She tries to impugn me personally,” Tracey said.

“What’s the answer?” Morgan asked.

“Of course I’m not being paid by anyone! I’m paid by my readers on Substack, you idiot! You just can’t engage on the merits, Tara!” Tracey yelped. “You are a disgrace, you are going to be remembered as somebody who was integral in fomenting this moral panic and mass hysteria that’s led to mass defamation, like you just tried against me!”

That wild moment came after an already-intriguing start to the segment.

Tracey argued the “crux of the mythology” around Epstein running a criminal sex ring for A-Listers was built on Giuffre’s claims, which he said are bogus. “She would’ve been above the legal age of consent in England,” when the alleged crimes took place, Tracey said. He then ripped Palmeri, saying she was one of countless journalists who “amplified” the Epstein saga and “fomented this moral panic.”

Their squabble comes a few weeks after the Justice Department released 3.5 million Epstein-related files.

Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter last weekend saying the DOJ has released “all” files tied to Epstein, and President Donald Trump said the latest batch “absolve” him of any wrongdoing; they also included an FBI document showing Trump thanked Florida cops and told them to “focus” on “evil” Ghislaine Maxwell back in 2006, among many other files.

Watch above via Piers Morgan Uncensored.

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