MS NOW is sticking with Morning Joe.
The cable channel has inked new long-term deals with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Axios, which first reported on the deal, says the contracts will run through the end of 2029.
The new deal keeps the power duo, and arguably two of its most powerful on-air personalities, on the channel past the 2028 election. Not bad for a show that was originally a fill-in program when it launched on MSNBC nearly 20 years ago in 2007. That temporary show has since become a flagship of MS NOW’s lineup.
Last week MS NOW president Rebecca Kutler announced a significant overhaul of its lineup, including trimming Morning Joe from four hours back to its original three.
But Scarborough has also begun to push beyond the TV, launching a newsletter called The Tea, which expands the show’s reach to the afternoons.
Scarborough told THR last year that he wants to do more than just the show, and that MS NOW’s new home within Versant will enable them to do that faster. Cutting back on the on-air hours will allow them to develop more ideas.
“When you’re in General Electric or Comcast, there’s layer after layer after layer,” Scarborough said. “What CEO Mark [Lazarus] is so excited about, and what Rebecca is so excited about, and what I’m now really excited about is how entrepreneurial they’re going to be.”
