Don't let the door hit ya on the way out, Joe!
Mika Brzezinski began today's Morning Joe with an apparent expression of discontent about the show having been yanked off the air yesterday, pointedly saying "It is VERY good to be here."
That apparent discontent become absolutely explicit an hour later in the show. Joe Scarborough in effect accused the NBC News suits of having lied to them in saying that they'd been taken off the air because there'd be one unified feed across all their networks yesterday. That didn't turn out to be so.
Scarborough ended with what sounded like a threat to quit, saying:
"Next time we're told there's going to be a news feed replacing us, we will be in our chairs. And the news feed will be us, or THEY CAN GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO HOST THE SHOW."
Note: Mika supplied some unintentional humor, at one point claiming that Morning Joe is "the place where you can go to have the hard conversations. In a civil way."
Right. Because nothing says "civil"—to offer just two of many examples—like Scarborough having a screaming, table-pounding meltdown so bizarre that Mika suggested he take a time out. Or Scarborough claiming that if elected, Trump will "execute" as many people as he can get away.
Don't get no more civil than that!
Fox News analyst Joe Concha tweeted: "Nothing to see here. Just two petulant hosts slamming their own bosses and threatening to quit if they're ever held to account for the reckless things they've said for years. Fire them. They can't be trusted and are openly insubordinate. The numbers aren't even good anyway."
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
7/15/24
7:03 am EDTJOE SCARBOROUGH: Before we start this hour, Willie, I just wanted to briefly talk to our friends and viewers that watch us every day. And, and talk about what happened yesterday.
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. Today show would be Lester Holt. Other people that, well, you worked with on Sunday. And that that was going to be one news feed across all NBC News channels. That we were going to stay as a network in breaking news mode throughout all day yesterday.
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. We were also told it was going to happen throughout the day. And I guess after there was such a strong blowback about yesterday morning, I guess they changed their plans, and so those plans changed, as well. So it didn't.
And, you know, we've talked about it off the air. We'll talk about it on the air, because we talk about everything on the air. We were very surprised. We were very disappointed. And if we had known that there wasn't going to be the one newsfeed from NBC News across all NBC News channels, Willie, we obviously would have been in yesterday morning.
WILLIE GEIST: Yeah, I was here up early on Sunday morning with NBC's coverage. Savannah and I led the coverage on Sunday in the immediate aftermath. Talking to eyewitnesses, talking to officials about what happened. Obviously, suited up and ready to go for yesterday morning on a big morning, and were told that something else was going to be broadcast.
So, we are here today. Going through a lot. Catching up a little bit. But we want to be here for our audience, and we know you trust us. And we have ultimate respect for you guys. So, we are here today, and wish we'd been here yesterday.
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, we all wish we would have been here yesterday. We still have -- we'd like to figure out exactly why there wasn't that one news feed.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Well, and I think the reason why is that this show began, and continues 17 years later, on being the place where you can go to have the hard conversations. In a civil way. And so it seemed like, now more than ever is a day, a time, that we would like to be on. And I think our viewers agree with that. So we continue. We are five minutes past the top of the hour.
SCARBOROUGH: Let me just say, we, next time we're told there is going to be a news feed replacing us, we will be in our chairs.
MIKA: We'll be sitting here.
SCARBOROUGH: And the news feed will be us, or they can get somebody else --
MIKA: We'll still be sitting here.
SCARBOROUGH: To host the show.
