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He was also one of the judges on America's Got Talent on NBC for the first several years. Arguably, more people might recognize him from that than from his CNN show.
CNN International & Domestic
On the contrary, I think the fact Piers had a show on CNN and is therefore somewhat known in the US, is the main reason they were talking about it and in a way that suggests everyone knows who he is. Had it been Kate Garraway in a similar situation I don’t think the story would have got much of a look in.
He was also one of the judges on America's Got Talent on NBC for the first several years. Arguably, more people might recognize him from that than from his CNN show.