MSNBC host Joe Scarborough expressed strong dissatisfaction with the network’s decision to pull “Morning Joe” off the air on Monday, vowing that he and co-host Mika Brzezinski would consider quitting if such an incident occurred again.
“We were very surprised,” Scarborough stated during the show. “We were very disappointed.”
The controversy began when Morning Joe was preempted for coverage of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. This decision, explained via a post from the Morning Joe X account, came as a surprise to Scarborough, who expected uniform coverage across NBC news channels for the entire day.
“We were told in no uncertain terms on Sunday evening that there was going to be one news feed across all NBC news channels yesterday,” Scarborough recounted on Tuesday’s broadcast. “That did not happen. We don’t know why that didn’t happen. Our team was not given a good answer as to why that didn’t happen—but it didn’t happen.”
Scarborough further criticized the network for changing plans after receiving backlash, emphasizing that Morning Joe had been prepared to air as usual. Co-hosts Willie Geist and Mika Brzezinski echoed Scarborough’s disappointment, with Geist noting he had been ready to host on Monday morning.
Brzezinski lamented the absence of Morning Joe, describing it as a forum for critical and civil discourse, especially during significant moments like Monday’s events.
Looking ahead, Scarborough concluded with a stern ultimatum: “Next time we’re told there’s going to be a news feed replacing us, we will be in our chairs. Yeah. And the news feed will be us, or they can get somebody else to host the show.”
MSNBC defended its decision, denying reports that Morning Joe was sidelined to avoid potential controversies. The network cited ongoing breaking news coverage as justification for the programming adjustment.
Watch the segment below:
