Michael Coren

Early Life, Immigration and Print Beginnings

Michael Coren was born on 15 January 1959 in Walthamstow, then part of Essex, England, into a family of secular Jewish heritage. His father's family had left Poland in the 1890s, decades before the Holocaust, a fact he later referenced when defending himself against accusations of antisemitism. Coren obtained a degree in politics from the University of Nottingham before making a significant life change by immigrating to Canada in 1987. His early career in Canadian journalism was marked by a combative relationship with the satirical magazine Frank, for which he wrote columns before becoming a target of its satire, including a spoof ad contest to deflower him. He subsequently became a columnist for The Globe and Mail before beginning syndicated columns for the Financial Post and Sun Media in 1995, establishing his voice in the national press. In a 1994 interview with the Ryerson Review of Journalism, he took exception to being labelled a literary prostitute, an incident that illustrated the contentious nature of his early public persona.

Broadcasting Career: Radio and Television

Michael Coren's broadcasting career began in the early 1990s when he co-hosted a political debate segment with Irshad Manji on TVOntario's Studio 2. His radio career took off in 1995 with an evening talk show on Toronto's powerhouse station CFRB. After a brief move to Talk 640 in 1999 as a morning host, he returned to CFRB, hosting a weekday evening show from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. and regularly filling in for other hosts until November 2005. His tenure at CFRB was marked by controversy, including his dismissal in 2005 following complaints about a scripted comedy segment where he ridiculed the weight of an actor portraying a guest, which station management deemed totally out of bounds. He was re-hired for talk show appearances in July 2006 during the Israel-Lebanon conflict, as he was in Israel at the time, but was let go again in August 2009 as part of broader staff cuts that affected 12 other employees. In the fall of 2007, he co-hosted a daily hour-long afternoon show on CFRB called Two Bald Guys With Strong Opinions, first with former Liberal Party president Stephen LeDrew and later, after several on-air auditions, with commentator Tarek Fatah.

On television, Coren hosted The Michael Coren Show on the Crossroads Television System from 1999 until June 2011. He then joined the newly launched Sun News Network, hosting The Arena with Michael Coren on weeknights beginning 30 August 2011. The show and the network continued until Sun News ceased operations in February 2015. Following the network's demise, Coren very briefly joined the online platform The Rebel Media, founded by Ezra Levant, but left the venture after only one week. Beyond news and politics, Coren, a self-professed Tottenham Hotspur fan, also appeared as a guest host on The Score's The Footy Show. His television work made him a familiar face in Canadian households, particularly among viewers of religious and conservative-oriented programming, and his move from Crossroads to Sun News represented a significant shift in his broadcast platform.

Written Work, Columns and Public Commentary

Alongside broadcasting, Michael Coren has maintained a prolific career as an author and columnist. He has written more than ten books, with a focus on biographies of influential British writers and later on works of Christian apologetics and social commentary. His columns have appeared in a wide array of publications, reflecting his evolving perspectives. He wrote a weekly column for the Sun Media newspaper chain every Saturday until February 2015 and has been a columnist for the Western Standard, Catholic Insight, and The Women's Post. He has contributed to National Post and Reader's Digest and, following his public shift to more liberal social views, became a columnist for the Toronto Star and iPolitics. His written work has often sparked debate, with notable controversial articles including a 2006 Toronto Sun piece questioning why AIDS receives special attention, which bluntly stated the disease in the West threatened male homosexuals and intravenous drug users and advised stop fornicating. A September 2006 article supporting tactical nuclear strikes against Iran was retracted the following year. Coren has also been a public speaker, particularly at religious gatherings, extending his influence beyond print and broadcast media.

Published Books

Michael Coren has written more than ten books, including biographies of G. K. Chesterton, H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. His later books include Heresy: Ten Lies They Spread About Christianity, The Future of Catholicism, Hatred: Islam's War on Christianity, Epiphany: A Christian's Change of Heart & Mind over Same-Sex Marriage and The Rebel Christ. His bibliography demonstrates his interest in literary history and Christian thought. His early works are primarily biographies, while his later books engage directly with religious and political controversies.

• Theatre Royal: 100 Years of Stratford East (1985)
• Gilbert: The Man Who Was G. K. Chesterton (1990)
• The Invisible Man: The Life and Liberties of H. G. Wells (1993)
• The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1993)
• The Man Who Created Narnia: The Story of C. S. Lewis (1994)
• Setting It Right (1996)
• J. R. R. Tolkien: The Man who Created the Lord of the Rings (2001)
• As I See It (2009)
• Why Catholics Are Right (2011)
• Heresy: Ten Lies They Spread About Christianity (2012)
• The Future of Catholicism (2013)
• Hatred: Islam's War on Christianity (2014)
• Epiphany: A Christian's Change of Heart & Mind over Same-Sex Marriage (2016)
• The Rebel Christ (2021)

Religious Journey, Views and Ordination

Michael Coren's spiritual path has been complex, well-documented, and highly public. Born into a secular Jewish family with a Jewish father and a maternal grandfather, and a maternal grandmother who was a Welsh coal miner's daughter who converted to Judaism, he converted to Catholic Christianity in 1984 while still living in England, later saying he converted to an institution. In the 1990s, after a conversion experience influenced by Canadian televangelist Terry Winter, he left Catholicism for Evangelicalism. During this period, he made critical comments about the Catholic Church, including in a 1991 column calling Evangelicals intolerant and small-minded, and a 1993 book review questioning the image of a detective priest. A 1993 Toronto Life profile of Archbishop Aloysius Ambrozic, who had made Coren a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre in October 1992, quoted the archbishop using vulgar language and led to a major falling out. Coren defended the article, stating the archbishop was vulgar and that thousands of Catholics expected him to lie, and he noted he still received hate mail about it years later.

He returned to the Catholic Church in early 2004, citing figures like Thomas More, C.S. Lewis, Ronald Knox and his godfather Lord Longford as influences, and authored the book Why Catholics Are Right in 2011. In 2014, Coren began worshipping with the Anglican Church of Canada, formally joining the communion in 2015. He cited the Catholic Church's teachings on homosexuality and contraception as key reasons for this change, as stated in a May 2015 interview with the National Post. This shift coincided with a public embrace of socially liberal ideas like support for same-sex marriage, which he documented in his 2016 book Epiphany. He estimated this change cost him approximately $35,000 annually in lost speaking fees and columns for Sun Media, Crossroads Christian Communications, The Catholic Register, and other conservative Christian publications. Coren was ordained a transitional deacon in the Anglican Diocese of Niagara on 20 October 2019 and ordained a priest in September 2021. He now serves as an associate priest at St. Luke's Anglican Church in Burlington, Ontario, and identifies as a Christian socialist. He supports infant circumcision as a holy tradition for Jews and Muslims and has called its opponents irreligious zealots.

Controversies and Public Statements

Throughout his career, Michael Coren has been no stranger to controversy, often stemming from his provocative statements on air and in print. In the 1990s and 2000s, he faced criticism for his comments on AIDS, arguing in a 1994 interview that public concern represented a double standard focused on middle-class Western men rather than Africans, stating when it was blacks in Africa dying of AIDS, no one gave a toss. His 2005 dismissal from CFRB resulted from a scripted comedy segment mocking a guest's weight, which station management deemed out of bounds, though Coren argued it was satire comparing public attitude to third world starvation with North America's obsession with slimming. His 2006 column in the Toronto Sun questioning why AIDS is treated as a special cause included the blunt advice to stop fornicating, arguing the disease in the West primarily affected male homosexuals and intravenous drug users and that the bulk of the newly infected contracted the virus through permissive sexual practices.

His September 2006 article advocating tactical nuclear strikes against Iran was retracted the following year. Coren's very public religious and political evolution also generated significant backlash, particularly from his former conservative and Christian audience after he began supporting same-sex marriage. He described receiving intense personal attacks, observing that there is none so angry as a fundamentalist scorned. Despite these conflicts, Coren has expressed regret for the tone of much of his earlier commentary, stating that contrition is a major aspect of his personal conversion and that he regrets so much of what he said, especially the tone. His relationship with the Catholic Church was also strained by a satirical column for Frank magazine depicting Mother Teresa getting drunk in a bar, illustrating his penchant for provocative humour that often targeted sacred institutions.

Personal Life and Family

Michael Coren married his wife, Bernadette, in 1987, the same year he moved to Canada. The couple have four children together, and Coren has noted that his wife is Catholic and that his children were raised in that faith even during his periods outside the Church. He is a cousin of the late British author and journalist Alan Coren, making him a relative of Alan's children, television presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell and journalist Giles Coren. Coren has shared that his father, a cab driver, told him he could not attend his son's wedding in a Catholic church without becoming physically sick, highlighting early family tensions over his religious choices. Beyond his professional and religious life, Coren is also an active public speaker, frequently addressing religious gatherings and events, which remains a significant part of his vocation. His personal story was profiled on the Vision TV program Credo, where he discussed his spiritual journey in detail.

Questions about Michael Coren

Why did Michael Coren leave the Catholic Church for Anglicanism?

Michael Coren left the Catholic Church and joined the Anglican Church of Canada in 2014, formally entering the communion in 2015. In a May 2015 interview with the National Post, he cited disagreements with Catholic doctrine on homosexuality and contraception as primary reasons for his conversion. This theological shift coincided with a broader change in his social views, including his public support for same-sex marriage, which he detailed in his 2016 book Epiphany. The change had significant professional consequences, leading to the loss of income from conservative Christian speaking engagements and publications.

What happened to Michael Coren's show on Sun News Network?

Michael Coren hosted The Arena with Michael Coren on the Sun News Network from its launch on 30 August 2011. The show aired on weeknights until the entire Sun News Network ceased broadcasting in February 2015. Following the network's demise, Coren briefly joined the online outlet The Rebel Media, founded by Ezra Levant, but departed after only one week. This marked the end of his regular national television hosting role in Canada.

What are some of Michael Coren's most famous books?

Michael Coren has authored over a dozen books. He is well known for his biographies of famous British writers, including Gilbert: The Man Who Was G. K. Chesterton (1990), The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1993), and J. R. R. Tolkien: The Man who Created the Lord of the Rings (2001). His later works focus on Christian faith and controversy, such as Why Catholics Are Right (2011), Heresy: Ten Lies They Spread About Christianity (2012), Hatred: Islam's War on Christianity (2014), and Epiphany: A Christian's Change of Heart & Mind over Same-Sex Marriage (2016). His most recent book is The Rebel Christ, published in 2021.

Why was Michael Coren fired from CFRB radio?

Michael Coren was dismissed from Toronto radio station CFRB in November 2005 following listener complaints about a scripted comedy segment. In the segment, Coren ridiculed the weight of an actor who was portraying a guest. Station management, including general manager Pat Holiday and operations manager Steve Kowch, reviewed the tape and found the content to be totally out of bounds, leading to his termination. Coren argued the segment was intended as satire comparing attitudes toward third-world starvation with North American obsessions with weight loss and self-indulgence.

What is Michael Coren's role in the Anglican Church today?

Michael Coren is an ordained priest in the Anglican Diocese of Niagara. He was ordained a transitional deacon on 20 October 2019 and then ordained a priest in September 2021. He currently serves as an associate priest at St. Luke's Anglican Church in Burlington, Ontario, where he conducts religious services and provides pastoral care. His ordination and current ministry represent the culmination of his long and public spiritual journey through multiple Christian traditions.

Is Michael Coren related to Victoria Coren Mitchell?

Yes, Michael Coren is related to Victoria Coren Mitchell. He is a cousin of author and journalist Alan Coren. Through this family connection, he is thus related to Alan Coren's children, who are Victoria Coren Mitchell and Giles Coren. This places him within a family of notable British writers and media personalities. The relationship is detailed in the personal life section of his biography. This familial link is a documented fact about his background.

Sources and further reading

• Michael Coren (Wikipedia)
• Bio, Reverend Michael Coren (michaelcoren.com)
• In his new memoir, Michael Coren recounts his life, from ... (thecjn.ca)
• Michael Coren (stbenedictstable.ca)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-23.