'Morning Joe' Co-Hosts Quip They 'Could Be Fired' as Comcast Jettisons MSNBC in Spinoff

The jokes were flying on “Morning Joe” Wednesday, but the situation was anything but humorous.

Hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski maintained a brave front as they addressed the announcement that Comcast, the media powerhouse, plans to spin off several of its networks, including MSNBC, where the married duo work.

As NBC reported, Comcast's strategy involves creating a new company that will house USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and the Golf Channel. Meanwhile, Comcast will retain NBC, NBC News, NBC Sports, the Peacock streaming platform, and the Bravo network.

Scarborough attempted to inject some humor into the development.

“The big concern that stockholders right now on Wall Street are wondering about, before they decide what to do with Comcast shares, is whether Mika is going to have to give up her penthouse,” Scarborough quipped in a video shared on X.

“Now, now,” Brzezinski replied.

Despite offering optimistic predictions, Scarborough acknowledged the uncertainty of the situation, as noted by Mediaite.

“I could be completely wrong: We could all be fired a year from now,” he said. “When this happens, you never know what’s going to happen.”

Brzezinski chimed in, adding, “Or tomorrow.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, the spin-off is valued at approximately $7 billion.

The Journal also reported that Mark Lazarus, the chair of NBCUniversal’s media group, will serve as CEO of the new company.

“The transaction will be structured as a tax-free spin to existing shareholders,” Comcast President Mike Cavanagh stated in a memo, according to NBC. “While we don’t have a precise timetable for completing the transition, we are estimating that it will take approximately a year.”

Cavanagh emphasized the potential of the new entity, saying, “The well-capitalized, independent company will be positioned to lead in the changing landscape for cable networks given the strength of its portfolio and the quality and focus of its management team.”

However, a report by Variety, citing unnamed sources, raised questions about the future of MSNBC. It speculated on whether the network might need to rebrand once it separates from Comcast.

The report also highlighted uncertainties regarding how the spin-off networks, including MSNBC and CNBC, would source news content. Historically, both have heavily relied on reporting from NBC journalists.