The Piker Family

Cenk Uygur (Uncle)

Cenk Uygur, Hasan Piker's maternal uncle, is a Turkish-American political commentator and the founder and host of The Young Turks (TYT). However, Cenk Uygur's public profile has been marked by several significant controversies.

Armenian Genocide Denial

In 1991, while attending the Wharton School, Uygur wrote an article in The Daily Pennsylvanian titled "Historical Fact or Falsehood?" in which he denied the Armenian Genocide. In 2016, after sustained pressure, Uygur published a statement rescinding his 1991 article. However, he did not explicitly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.

The controversy extends to the name of his show, The Young Turks, which refers to the political movement that orchestrated the Armenian Genocide. Despite calls from Armenian organizations to change the name, Uygur has refused.

Sexist Blog Posts and Justice Democrats Resignation

In December 2017, archived blog posts surfaced in which Uygur made numerous sexist and degrading comments about women. Following this, Uygur was forced to resign from Justice Democrats.

"How to Pick Up Chicks" Panel

In 2016, Uygur led a profanity-laced panel discussion on "how to pick up chicks" with Hasan Piker. During the discussion, Uygur discussed hitting on a 19-year-old beauty pageant winner when he was 28 and laughed when Hasan bragged about being a "total misogynist."