NBC bosses get thrashed on MSNBC again as 'Morning Joe' criticizes circumstances of show's benching
"Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough scolded MSNBC honchos on Tuesday for sidelining him in the aftermath of the assassination attempt against former President Trump.
For the second time this year, NBC bosses saw themselves get trashed on the air by their own anchors on Tuesday.
"Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough scolded network honchos on Tuesday morning for sidelining him in the aftermath of the assassination attempt against former President Trump. Scarborough’s harsh on-air criticism came less than four months after he and MSNBC’s most prominent voices publicly fumed when NBC News hired former Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel as a contributor.
The McDaniel ordeal was seen as a black mark against NBCUniversial News Group Chairman Cesar Conde, NBC News editorial chief Rebecca Blumenstein and MSNBC president Rashida Jones. They irked anchors again when "Morning Joe" was replaced by NBC News special reporting on Monday, leaving MSNBC's flagship show off the air in the midst of an extraordinary news cycle.
"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 said, recounting why he was told his show would be off the airwaves on Monday, less than 48 hours after Trump was shot at his rally.
"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," Scarborough continued. "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."
Fox News Digital exclusively reported Monday that the show's producers and hosts had been informed that would be the case but were left shocked and upset when it appeared to be the only significant MSNBC program on Monday to be sidelined.
"We were very surprised," Scarborough said on Tuesday. "We were very disappointed."
Co-hosts Mika Brzezinski, who is also Scarborough’s wife, and Willie Geist added they wanted to be on the air to discuss the assassination attempt. CNN noted that MSNBC took a huge ratings hit with their absence on Monday, with the total audience down 40%.
The host concluded by suggesting he and Brzezinski may quit if something like this happens again: "And the newsfeed will be us, or they can get somebody else to host the show."
Cable news hosts publicly airing grievances about their own employer is historically rare in the industry, where high-paid talking heads are typically in lockstep with executives who sign their paychecks. But outspoken liberal pundits across MSNBC, as well as on NBC's "Meet the Press," also revolted against the hiring of McDaniel in March.
MSNBC YANKS ANTI-TRUMP 'MORNING JOE' OFF AIR FOLLOWING ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
The former RNC chairwoman was signed as a paid contributor, sparking intense backlash from Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, Joy Reid, Jen Psaki and Lawrence O'Donnell, along with Scarborough and Brzezinski, who all lashed out at their employer with on-air rebukes.
Todd told "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker on March 24 that NBC bosses owed her an apology for making her interview a colleague with "credibility issues" moments after McDaniel made her debut. Todd’s public criticism opened the floodgates.
"The fact that Ms. McDaniel is on the payroll at NBC News – to me that is inexplicable," Maddow bluntly told viewers.
Wallace said the network's "sacred airwaves" had been besmirched, while Psaki said "our democracy is in danger because of the lies that people like Ronna McDaniel have pushed on this country."
NBC NEWS OFFICIALLY DROPS RONNA MCDANIEL FOLLOWING ON-AIR BACKLASH FROM STAFF
NBC, which took heat from outside the network as well, capitulated and terminated McDaniel, just four days after announcing her hire.
The humiliating episode showed the disconnect between the network's Comcast corporate bosses and the left-wing hosts and rank-and-file staffers.
Said one former MSNBC executive at the time to Fox News Digital: "There’s now an obvious line drawn between NBC/MSNBC anchors and correspondents, and the executives who oversee them. The talent doesn’t trust the execs and the execs don’t trust the talent."
Scarborough's on-air criticism Saturday made headlines in yet another rough episode for the Peacock.
"It’s shameful that Cesar Conde allows Joe Scarborough to dump on his bosses on air. It was the same with Rachel and Nicolle ranting about their bosses’ decision to hire Ronna McDaniel," a former NBC News producer told Fox News Digital.
NBC NEWS OFFICIALLY DROPS RONNA MCDANIEL FOLLOWING ON-AIR BACKLASH FROM STAFF
Liberal professor and media critic Jeff Jarvis wrote on X that it was good Scarborough spoke out.
"In yesterday's statement, NBC News executives said they made this decision in collaboration with Joe and Mika. That, clearly, was a lie. We still need to know more about what happened at NBC News," Jarvis wrote.
"Add this to the Ronna McDaniel revolt, and I'd say NBC News executives have lost the confidence of their staff and stars," Jarvis continued. "With the failure of the Times & Post and CNN, MSNBC is all that we have left. Don't f--k it up, NBC."
MSNBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.