Joe Scarborough 'Very Disappointed' By NBC News' Decision To Preempt Monday's Morning Joe: 'Our Team Was Not Given A Good Answer' (Watch)

By Ryan Schwartz
Morning Joe MSNBC screenshot

The hosts of MSNBC's Morning Joe were quick to vent their frustrations about Monday morning's preemption upon their return to air Tuesday.

Following Saturday's attempted assassination on former president Donald Trump, a spokesperson for NBCUniversal News Group told CNN that, "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," and thus would preempt Monday's edition of Morning Joe.

Ultimately, though, NBC News did not remain in rolling breaking news mode Monday, prompting Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist to address the cancellation of Monday's episode at the start of Tuesday's second hour.

"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 — the Today show, Lester Holt, other people [Geist] 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," Scarborough said. "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.

"I guess, after there was such a strong blowback about yesterday morning, I guess they changed their plans," Scarborough opined. "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 news feed from NBC News across all NBC News channels, Willie, we obviously would have been on yesterday morning."

Geist nodded in agreement, then added, "I was on Sunday morning with NBC's coverage. Savannah [Guthrie] and I led the coverage on Sunday in the immediate aftermath, talking to eyewitnesses, talking to officials about what happened. Obviously, we were suited up, ready to go for yesterday morning, on a big morning, and we 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 the ultimate respect for you guys, so we are here today. I wish we had been here yesterday."

Before they cut to commercial, Brzezinski asserted that Morning Joe is "the place where you could go to have the hard conversations in a civil way, 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." Added Scarborough: "And let me just say, next time we're told there's going to be a news feed replacing us, we will be in our chairs. The news feed will be us, or they can get somebody else to host the show."

TVLine has reached out to MSNBC for comment. Watch video of the Scarborough, Geist and Brzezinski's remarks below:

Recommended