MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” hosts railed against a decision by network leadership to preempt morning program on Monday, the first day of the Republican National Convention and just days after an assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
The left-leaning cable news network did not air “Morning Joe” on Monday, instead simulcasting one breaking news feed to all platforms including MSNBC, NBC News, and NBC News NOW.
Joe Scarborough said on air on Tuesday that he and his team were “very surprised, very disappointed,” in the decision to take them off the air.
“We were told in no uncertain terms on Sunday night that there was going to be one news feed against all channels,” Scarborough said. “I guess after there was such strong blowback about what happened yesterday morning that they changed their plans.”
By Monday afternoon, MSNBC reverted back to RNC programming, featuring Nicolle Wallace on air from Milwaukee. By 7 pm ET, a panel full of MSNBC opinion hosts including Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid, and Jen Psaki were anchoring live from the convention.
“Next time we’re told there’s going to be a news feed replacing us, we will be in our chairs,” Scarborough continued. “And the news feed will be us or they can get somebody else to host this show.”
According to CNN, the decision to bypass “Morning Joe” was made to “avoid a scenario in which one of the show’s stable of two dozen-plus guests might make an inappropriate comment on live television that could be used to assail the program and network as a whole.”
A spokesperson from the network, however, denied that was the reason for the decision on Monday.
“Given the gravity and complexity of this unfolding story, NBC News, NBC News NOW and MSNBC have remained in rolling breaking news coverage since Saturday evening,” the spokesperson said in a statement on Monday. “As we continue to cover this story into the week, the networks will continue to cross simulcast, alternating between NBC News, NBC News NOW and ‘MSNBC Reports’, so there is one news feed covering this developing situation.”
