‘Morning Joe’ & MSNBC Ratings Show Big Change Since Trump Became President
MSNBC is on the rebound after its post-election ratings slump, with shows such as Morning Joe up double-digits over the month.
It’s no secret that MSNBC took a hit following Donald Trump‘s election victory in November, with ratings down 47% pre-inauguration. Morning Joe, specifically, dropped viewers following hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski‘s meeting with Trump.
However, according to an NBC press release, citing Nielsen ratings, the first five weeks of Trump’s presidency saw Morning Joe grow its audience by 17% compared to pre-inauguration viewership. In addition, the show nearly doubled CNN’s morning audience.
Ali Vitali‘s Way Too Early also improved its viewership by 18% month over month, while MSNBC’s weekend programming also experienced double-digit viewership growth compared to January, by 24% among total viewers and by 38% in the demo. The Weekend and Inside with Jen Psaki have both posted strong weekend numbers, topping CNN every month they’ve been on air.
The success of those weekend shows will see the hosts move to prime-time amid massive shake-ups at the network. Earlier this week, Joy Reid hosted the final edition of The ReidOut, which will be replaced by The Weekend hosts Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez, who will take over the time slot for a two-hour broadcast on Monday nights.
In addition, former White House press secretary Psaki will replace Alex Wagner in the 9 pm ET slot from Tuesdays to Fridays once Rachel Maddow returns to Mondays only in April.
Reid’s final episode on MSNBC was the network’s most-watched show in the 25-54 demo on Monday, and totaled 1.69 million viewers overall, though it landed in second place behind The Rachel Maddow Show in total viewers. In comparison, Laura Ingraham at Fox News in the same 7 pm ET time slot had twice as many views as Joy Reid, Adweek reports.
Since the inauguration, MSNBC’s total day audience has improved by 42% among total viewers and by 67% among the 25-54 demo. The network also topped CNN among total viewers, marking its first win in the daytime in three months, averaging 602,000 total viewers in February.
In comparison, Fox News, in prime time, averaged 3.091 million and 387,000 A25-54 viewers in February, which is up 11% in total viewers and 10% in the demo compared to its January performance.
MSNBC was the No. 2 cable news network behind Fox News in prime time and total day in total viewers in February, averaging 1.126 million total viewers during primetime and 638,000 total viewers during total day. Compared to January, the prime time lineup was up 53% in total viewers and 76% in the demo.
Meanwhile, CNN averaged 553,000 total viewers and 122,000 A25-54 viewers in February, up 6% in total viewers and up 3% in the demo compared to January.
Conversation33 Comments
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Sometimes experts misread things and in this case failed to see that falling viewership wasn't about the MSNBC shows. It was that we were feeling too depressed to watch ANYTHING to do with trump and the daily coverage of the MAGGAT'S post-election glee. We didn't fall out of love with MSNBC at all and frankly using nationwide trump depression as an excuse to remove people of color is pathetically stupid. These network shows are Lifesavers for all of us, yet, you seem hell-bent on killing our best lifeline.
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Cry your liberal tears. You will benefit from Trump being in the Whitehouse whether you like it or not.
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No one is going to benefit from Trump not even you because everyone will be hurt in this country
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I can't speak for other people, only myself. I don't need constant confirmation of things I believe to be true, I need to know if what I believe is true. I watch MSNBC and CNN only rarely because I tire easily at sensationalism. As for FOX, I never watch it because of its stark departure from truthful reporting. I pick up my news from a variety of other sources but always seek to confirm if what I'm being told is true. Many Americans have no interest in exploring the truth, preferring instead to be told their bias is indeed the way the world is.
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Yeah, I don’t believe this. I haven’t watched the show since they went down there to kiss his ring.
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They didn't go kiss his ring , they went as dipolmats. They till objectively critique Trump and his administration grounded in facts. The format is different with more voices and I like it much more. Just chek it out.
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I quit MSNBC due to the constant MAGAt coverage as well as the Morning Jokes continual Trump ass kissing. I have never trusted either if them as they helped usher Trump in the first time. I will never forget Mika primping Trumps hair and then both, she and Joe denying it even happened. I haven't watched CNN since Chris Cuomo was covering for that misogynistic brother of his. MSNBC getting rid of Joy though fits right in with their MAGAt agenda.
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Aww how original!! MAGAt! Aren't you about as clever as bozo biden 🥴🤡 Half of you all here are just showing us your low IQ because we KNOW who won with the majority of votes and your idiot kackling kamala lost THANK GOD!
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I haven't watched MSNBC since they kept lying about Jim Jordan representing Columbus, Ohio when they knew that wasn't true. Columbus, Ohio (the seat of Franklin County) is a Midnight/navy blue city and has been for the last 25+ years. In fact, Republicans don't even bother to run a candidate for mayor. The mayor and city council are democrats. Franklin County commissioners, treasurer, prosecutor, clerk of courts, engineer (finally got rid of the last Republican to that hold office as of last year) and sheriff are all Democrats. As for Joy Reid getting fired, I couldn't give two hoots about her losing her show because she and Rachel Maddow kept telling that lie. One of them or both of them had Fani Willis (who blew up her case in Georgia) came on one of their shows and carried on the lie. So good riddance. Joyce Beatty represents District 3 (Columbus, Ohio) she's been on MSNBC too many times for MSNBC to keep perpetrating that lie.
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I stopped watching Morning Joe after Mika and Joe went KISSED THE FELON47’S ASS right after the election!!! Will not watch these two ever again! Plus, I am boycotting MSNBC for canceling REID OUT with JOY REID! Right on to Rachel Maddox for calling the network! SHAME ON MSNBC for getting rid of most of the networks COMMENTATORS who were of color! The new CEO SUCKS and should resign!! She has her head up her ass!!
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Why stoop to faux news level ? I cut way back on news when dump won; I have no stomach for the daily BS. It wasn't because of a desire for "msnbc lite" ! I check in everyday to some degree, not like I used to ....
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They say that Mika and Joe and the crew were anti Trump, but I'm not so sure. Seems his name was every other word that came out of their mouths for almost a year. They spent hours on the dogs and cats thing. It gave him tons and tons of publicity!!
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They spent time on thattopic yes because it was unbelieveable that a presidential candidate would say such a lie without having it fact checked. Still most things he says has little truth. What they need nto do is talk about what the positive things are that's happening and stop repeating Trump and his band of thieves nonesense. It's natural to retain what you hear repeatedly no matter good or bad.
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LIES!! You cannot name one lie our Great President Trump has told!! All we've seen is the hardest working man ever in the White House!! He's working hard to undo all the BS bozo biden done in his 4 years 🙄 And he's WORKING!! Unlike some former presidents who laid on the beach all day 🤡
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How funny! I know because I see libs saying his name several times a day even though they claim to hate our great President Trump! I love that President Trump and JD Vance won the MAJORITY of the votes but I don't have to say their names every second I'm on social media so you're the maggots obsessed with him!! 🤡🥴😁
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We have only you to believe which I don’t that joes ratings are up. Since his meeting with trump to kiss the ring I was truly repulsed. No one I know still watches.
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Morning Joe has done better since Jon Lemire and Willie have been given more time to have real conversations about current issues with guests than Joe Scarborough’s rants about how things were twenty five years ago and constantly interrupts the guests. This senior and wife turn to CNN and come back to MSNBC when Joe takes his break.
On Today’s show ( March 5) the new trio who will do the weekend morning show looked great and will appeal to the younger viewers. I can imagine the ratings going up even more when MSNBC sees the light, and gives us a new daily morning show led by these three and Jon and Willie, with Joe taking over the way way to early, early, Sunday morning spot.
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I can see the handwriting on the wall. We are headed straight for a dictatorship or maybe we are already and haven’t been told yet. Either way I watch the stock market. I figured they’re unbiased bc they only look at money buys either good or no good. It either adds up what the WH house says or it does not. I have to secure my own future since I cannot count on my country to to do it any longer
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To this day MSNBC hasn't mentioned a word about the letters Cyber Security Experts sent to Kamala Harris on 11-13-24 & 11-15-24 urging her to demand recounts in Swing States and reverse her concession, which she ignored but instead escaped to Hawaii to an exclusive resort after conceding to Trump.
MSNBC and the MSN hasn't mentioned a word about Election Truth Alliance videos which show abnormalities in Drop Off Votes, Bullet Ballots and evidence of a “Russian Tail Hack” in swing states.
Constitutional law expert John Bonifaz stated that Trump engaged in an insurrection and is barred from federal office by Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Bonifaz stated that Trump has no legal authority and every action he takes could be challenged in court. Democrats should have objected to his certification but failed to do so.
MSNBC has failed to report any of this to their viewers.
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Although this “shake up” happened 2 months ago, I am a chronic watcher on MSNBC for years. Being a Political enthusiast to the point where I believe now I may need therapy to stop watching. Joy Reid was just that edgier show that I needed at 4:00 WCT. Joy had such a joy about her and felt she was being as honest as-she could be to give us the facts. Especially since Trumps return. I was truly shocked at hearing so many let go! Alex Wagner? Are you kidding me? Then Katie Phang. It was very hard to keep supporting MSNBC. The real low ratings came back when every host was complaining of Joe Biden needing to quit.Audience became so frustrated many suggested to stop watching. That’s the only reason FOX would gain ratings.Theres just not that many Trumpers out there.
I don’t know if I’ll like this new arrangement . I’ll see.
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Morning Joe is a great disappointment. I do not believe that viewership is up. The lies from the media is copying D.Trump. We know how to find the truth. We don't need to rely on Fake Joe and Sorry Mika for the truth. It is time for some real truthful journalism. I'm done with MSNBC!
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What a bunch of f****** loser's
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It would be refreshing if msnbc ever really gave the news instead of their opinions. If they would drop the hateful Trump and tell us what they are fir it would be a red letter day.
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Joe is off the show more and more. They should change the name of the show
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I think Mika needs to go.
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Couldn’t agree more. Enough of Joe and Mika. Once they went down and kissed the ring I was done with them. Sickening. They let their masks fall and we saw who they really are. Haven’t watched it since. Miss Lamère anGeist though. If they get rid of Joe and Mika and make Lamère and Gist co-hosts I’ll watch again. For now it’s Maddie and O’Donnel on my must watch list. Joy Reid was on my must watch list. It was heartbreaking to see her show ended. They keep trying to shove Jen Sacki down ourthroughts and she’s a real yawn to watch. The idiots who are running MSNBC need to get their act together or we’ll all suffer the consequences .
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Joe Scarborough was always a bore. If he isn't talking about his stint as a country lawyer then he talk about his short time in government as a republican no less.
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I do not watch Morning Joe anymore since they went down to Trump house and KISSED THE RING!!!
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Lol Trump derangement is crazy. Post election drama and whimper is all it's about. Time to start the tabloid BS so that the deranged whacko viewer can cling to any story (lie) MSNBC ,CBS,ABC,CNN will pull something out of their a**!
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I think the perception of MSNBC on the recent Ukraine blowout in the WH, has been so altered from what actually happened; that when their female host @ 4:51 pm and her guests spoke of nothing factual. Hence all their opinions that they present as facts; are exactly the lies that they have been trying to destroy our nation and boost their false values of something I can’t understand as anything that meets the definition of treasonous acts with premeditation! Please learn to present the truths Not your narratives of info that harm those that may not know your moral compass has gone to the dark side
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I have a completely different take on this. I think MSNBC has some of the most accurate news on TV. They are not magas at all & their take on the debacle in the Oval Office was spot on. JMHO....It sounds like your talking about Fox News not MSNBC. I don't watch Joe & Mica but I do watch Rachael & Nicholle Wallace. Tw of the best...
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I agree with you. Both are dipolmatic in the art of communication. Mika's father was a politician and Joe was... they knw how politics work. They stand on the history. of our politics and are very knowledgable. For all we know they could have gone down there to tell Trump to shut the hwell up about them and to back off. One thing I know is that they did not kiss his ring... Their show is better now with a wider range of voices that contribute to the discussion and makes for better representation of American views. Their position on Tump has not changed.
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I agree. MSNBC is all we have but I will never watch the ring kissers again, ever. Love Jose, Nicole, Rachel, and Lawrence! In the word of Princess Leia, “You are our only hope, ObiWan.” Live up to our expectations, MSNBC. Please don’t cross over to the dark side like the other news outlets!
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