MSNBC contributor Jennifer Rubin publicly criticized her network and its flagship show, Morning Joe, during her podcast, Jen Rubin’s Green Room. Her comments followed revelations about hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, a decision Rubin deemed out of touch with their audience.
On Friday's episode of Jen Rubin's Green Room, Rubin accused Scarborough and Brzezinski of 'forgetting' that their audience 'despises Trump' and that viewers preferred them to 'hold the line against Trump' rather than engage with the incoming president. She said,
“What were they thinking? Who do they think their audience was?... It was just an appalling example at how eager so many elites are to fall in line, to curry favor, to deflect attention, to deflect any kind of incoming criticism that might come their way from the White House.”
Rubin continued by questioning MSNBC’s ability to sustain its high costs, like Rachel Maddow’s $20 million salary, as the network struggles with declining ratings and revenue. She continued,
"Can they afford to pay Rachel Maddow, God bless her, 20 plus million dollars a year? Is there advertising to support that? Are there cable fees to support that?"
The New York Post reported that MSNBC cut $5 million from Rachel Maddow's pay as the network struggles after Comcast decided to sell off its cable assets. Maddow, who previously earned $30 million annually for hosting The Rachel Maddow Show once a week, renegotiated her contract for $25 million per year over the next five years. This adjustment comes amid broader restructuring within the network.
In the podcast, Jennifer Rubin also tied Morning Joe's declining ratings—its lowest since 2021—to broader issues within cable news. She described MSNBC’s repetitive programming as outdated, arguing that 'chewed-over talking points' have led audiences to seek alternatives. Rubin suggested the network should innovate, citing formats like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver as more engaging.
She had also posted about her criticism of MSNBC's Morning Joe on her Bluesky account by urging users not to watch the show. She wrote,
“The market works great. You can stop watching Morning Joe anytime.”
In a separate post, she also continued,
"On MJ: If you don't appreciate the audience you have, betray that audience and lose their trust you are going to lose lots of them. i have seen this movie."
What else did MSNBC's Jennifer Rubin say?
Jennifer Rubin also criticized The Washington Post and its owner, Jeff Bezos, for withdrawing the paper’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris just before the election. Rubin, who is also employed by The Washington Post, stated,
“First of all, I do not believe the reason stated. I don’t believe they have suddenly decided — he has suddenly decided that we should endorse everybody except presidential candidates, and that of all the elections, this is the one to start with this new policy,”
She also suggested that the move, especially from Jeff Bezos, is seen as yielding to Donald Trump, whom she accuses of undermining democracy and the press.
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“We endorsed a presidential candidate in 2020 no problem. And I perceive this, and even if it’s not intended, it is inevitably perceived as bending the knee to Donald Trump at the worst possible moment when democracy is on the line.”
Rubin questioned the logic of a billionaire owner of a major newspaper making such a decision, implying that it compromises journalistic integrity.
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