Scarborough expresses outrage at NBC for removing Morning Joe following Trump incident, warns of potential resignation if repeated.
Joe Scarborough mentioned that if there's ever a suggestion of a news feed taking their place, they will remain seated and continue hosting. He emphasized, “Next time we are told there will be a news feed replacing us, we will be in our chairs,” Scarborough said. He added, “And the news feed will be us, or they can get somebody else to host the show.”
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MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough criticized his own network for preempting his show on Monday to cover the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Scarborough, along with co-host Mika Brzezinski, expressed being “surprised” and “disappointed” by the decision and warned that they would not tolerate a similar incident in the future.
“Next time we are informed that our show will be replaced with a news feed, we will be present,” Scarborough asserted during the live broadcast on Tuesday morning. “Either the news feed will feature our program, or they can find someone else to host the show.”
Scarborough explained that the network had informed the “Morning Joe” team of a single NBC News feed in “breaking news mode” scheduled for all NBC channels throughout Monday. However, contrary to this plan, the “Today” show aired in the morning on NBC, followed by MSNBC hosts Andrea Mitchell and Chris Jansing appearing for their usual programs in the afternoon.
“If we had known that the NBC News feed would not run concurrently across all NBC channels as initially indicated, we would have been on air yesterday morning,” Scarborough remarked, later noting, “Our team did not receive a satisfactory explanation for why this deviation occurred, but it did happen.”
CNN, citing an unnamed source, reported that NBC network executives opted to remove “Morning Joe” from the lineup to prevent any guests from making inappropriate comments regarding Trump’s assassination attempt that could tarnish the program and network. POLITICO could not independently verify CNN’s account of NBC network executives’ rationale.
Neither Scarborough nor NBCUniversal immediately responded to POLITICO’s requests for comments on the matter.
Scarborough, a close friend and supporter of President Joe Biden, who recently criticized Democratic Party “elites” on the show, has faced attacks from Trump and his supporters regarding the network's perceived left-leaning bias. In 2020, Trump insinuated that Scarborough was involved in a murder, prompting the host to urge Trump to stop watching the program “for the good of the country.”
Reflecting on the show’s 17-year run, Brzezinski described it as a platform where difficult conversations could be held in a respectful manner.
“It felt like now more than ever, on a day like this, we should have been on air,” she remarked on Tuesday. “I believe our viewers share that sentiment.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
“Next time we are informed that our show will be replaced with a news feed, we will be present,” Scarborough asserted during the live broadcast on Tuesday morning. “Either the news feed will feature our program, or they can find someone else to host the show.”
Scarborough explained that the network had informed the “Morning Joe” team of a single NBC News feed in “breaking news mode” scheduled for all NBC channels throughout Monday. However, contrary to this plan, the “Today” show aired in the morning on NBC, followed by MSNBC hosts Andrea Mitchell and Chris Jansing appearing for their usual programs in the afternoon.
“If we had known that the NBC News feed would not run concurrently across all NBC channels as initially indicated, we would have been on air yesterday morning,” Scarborough remarked, later noting, “Our team did not receive a satisfactory explanation for why this deviation occurred, but it did happen.”
CNN, citing an unnamed source, reported that NBC network executives opted to remove “Morning Joe” from the lineup to prevent any guests from making inappropriate comments regarding Trump’s assassination attempt that could tarnish the program and network. POLITICO could not independently verify CNN’s account of NBC network executives’ rationale.
Neither Scarborough nor NBCUniversal immediately responded to POLITICO’s requests for comments on the matter.
Scarborough, a close friend and supporter of President Joe Biden, who recently criticized Democratic Party “elites” on the show, has faced attacks from Trump and his supporters regarding the network's perceived left-leaning bias. In 2020, Trump insinuated that Scarborough was involved in a murder, prompting the host to urge Trump to stop watching the program “for the good of the country.”
Reflecting on the show’s 17-year run, Brzezinski described it as a platform where difficult conversations could be held in a respectful manner.
“It felt like now more than ever, on a day like this, we should have been on air,” she remarked on Tuesday. “I believe our viewers share that sentiment.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
