Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski Off From ‘Morning Joe’ For Pre-Planned Bill Clinton Interview
Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were absent from the show’s lineup Friday, headed to Arkansas to interview former President Bill Clinton, just one day after the pair unleashed on critics of their visit with President-elect Donald Trump and guest David Frum’s charge that they were moderating their tone to appease the incoming administration.
The show opened Thursday with a ferocious 20-minute rebuttal by Scarborough of an article penned by Frum in the Atlantic. Frum objected to a disclaimer issued for a crack he made on Wednesday’s show about Fox News during discussions about the network’s former host and defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s alleged drinking behavior.
Scarborough argued in response that the hosts’ bid for “civility is [being] confused for fear.”
The tirade quickly devolved into an response to critics and a defense against criticism leveled at him and Brzezinski in recent weeks for their visit to Trump in Mar-a-Lago.
Scarborough eventually apologized to Frum if the disclaimer “blindsided” him and invited him to come on air while the show was still live in order to talk the issue out. Frum did not appear but reportedly offered to appear on air on Friday. Scarborough lamented he would not be available on that day as he would be leaving to interview Clinton.
On Friday, the show began with co-hosts Willie Geist and Jonathan Lemire leading the conversation and coverage, without Scarborough and Brzezinski.
The timing, however, comes as Scarborough and Brzezinski have repeatedly sought to contend with backlash from an audience that followed their very vocal criticism of Trump during the campaign season. The decision to visit the president-elect in person to mend relations and Scarborough’s sudden interest in “civility” and dialogue with the man he’d branded a fascist during coverage continues to be met with skepticism by even regular contributors to the show, like Frum and George Conway – who received an honorable mention in Scarborough’s response having shared the Atlantic piece.
As Frum’s article spotlights a growing critical narrative, bringing it to a head, Scarborough and Brzezinski will miss a further opportunity to combat it.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly characterized the reason for Scarborough and Brzezinski’s absence on-air Friday as unacknowledged. We have edited to reflect that Scarborough announced Thursday he would be absent from the studio in order to interview Bill Clinton.
