‘Morning Joe’ Hit by Ratings Shocker, Plus MSNBC’s Real Viewership Revealed
Newly-released viewing figures for the first quarter of 2025 provide some shocking news for MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
The Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski-hosted show finds itself trailing behind its CNN rival in a key ratings battleground for the first time in years.
According to Nielsen ratings, CNN News Central surpassed Morning Joe in the coveted 25-54 demographic for the first time since 2022. Morning Joe, which airs from 6-10AM ET Monday through Friday, still out-performs CNN in the 25-54 demo during its first hour, but things aren’t so good when News Central goes on air at 7AM ET. The CNN show, which is hosted by Sara Sidner, Kate Bolduan and John Berman, delivered an average of 73,000 in the key demo for Quarter 1 2025, while Morning Joe brought in an average of 64,000.
However, Morning Joe is still more popular with older viewers, which means that the show as a whole beats CNN during the 6-10AM ET slot when all age groups are factored in.
Overall, MSNBC for Q1 in primetime averaged 1.024 million total viewers and 96,000 in the demo, while its total day number saw 593,000 total viewers and 57,000 in the demo.
In comparison to Q1 2024, MSNBC was down -18% in total viewers and -21% in the demo in primetime and down -27% and -30% during total day.
CNN, meanwhile, averaged 558,000 total viewers and 121,000 in the demo during primetime, with 428,000 total viewers and 79,000 in the demo in total day.
Compared to Q1 2024, the dropoff for CNN wasn’t quite as extreme as MSNBC. The network was down -6% in total viewers and -1% in the demo during primetime and -8% and -7% in those same categories for total day.
Kate Bolduan, Sara Sidner, and John Berman, CNN News Central hosts; CNN YouTube
As TV Insider previously reported, Fox News remained at the top of the cable news chart with an average of 3.012 million total primetime viewers and 380,000 in the key demo for Q1 2025. In total day, the network delivered 1.919 million total viewers and 247,000 in the demo.
These numbers put Fox News up +46% in total viewers and +63% in the demo during primetime compared to Q1 2024. The network’s total day numbers were also up +48% (in total viewers) and +58% (in the demo) in comparison to last year.
Despite the hit to Morning Joe, MSNBC has seen an uptick in viewers since January when compared to Q4 2024. Between January 20 and March 28, the network averaged 1.45 million total viewers in primetime, up +96% compared to the post-election period.
MSNBC’s total day numbers are also up +43% compared to the last quarter of 2024, with a total viewer average of 830,000.
The big winner for MSNBC is The Rachel Maddow Show, which is the network’s most-watched program in total viewers and demo. In Q1 2025, Maddow’s show averaged 1.918 million viewers and 177,000 in the demo. It was also the only non-Fox News show to finish in Q1 2025’s Top 15 Shows Among Total Viewers and Among Adults 25-54.
Conversation67 Comments
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Comments are closed on this story.
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It’s good to see information that’s consistent with what SHOULD be. Soon after Joe & Mika went down (and I DO mean “down”) to Mar-a-Lago, I wrote a letter to the station’s “corporate”, urging them to dump the duo & admonishing them for not already having done so. And, I warned them that they would pay the price in ratings drops. Then, what do they do? They not only continue to hang on to the poisonous pair, but they get rid of some of their best (Joy Ried & the others). Joe-n-Mika & MSNBC deserve the decline. But WE, the audience; the people, deserve and NEED better.
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MSNBC stinks big. But at least they made a smidgen of effort by getting rid of Joy ( the racist) Reid. Now when Rachel ( the Liberal Left Mouthpiece ) Maddow leaves it might be close to even decent.
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Rebuild with Nicole Wallace in mind.
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I really want a network that brings Rachel Maddow, Don Lemon, Joy Ann Reid, Chris Cuomo, Tiffany Cross, and Roland Martin together on one network. A network funded by the people. One that doesn't take a dime from big donors or special interest groups. That's when you'll see truth. The only clause to the contract should be that they must report the accurate truth, even if the viewers don't like it, and if they don't they're fired.
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Long list of racists and liars you’ve got there. If that were really news it’d be like the USSR !!
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Joe and Mika sold their souls by going to Maralago. We used to watch them daily.
Never again! Know your value, Mika—ha!
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Joe is a loud mouth, talks over his guests and rants on and on. I quit watching a very long time ago. When it was known that he Mika went to kiss the ring I said to myself that they are such hypocrites. I love that Rachel has been on and is so informative, please keep her on MSNBC permanently.
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I don't have access to CNN but have watched Fox news and it's spin off station along with MSNBC to balance their views on what is taking place. Let me tell you besides right wing and left wing views there is an extreme difference to how information is delivered. I would just like to conclude that I feel Fox News as almost a news satire comedy addressing issues. To get basic information and explanations MSNBC provides a better view even if it is more left wing.
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FOX settled a lawsuit brought by Dominion for lying to the American public about the election and settled for $787. They were lying then and continue to lie now. Unfortunately, too many people still watch and believe the lies. There is nothing sinister about being a right leaning network, but the lies and favorable coverage of trump are bad for our democracy.
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So you’re so much smarter than all those Millions of people. NOT !!! Left wing “news” makes near constant retractions to Keep From being sued !! 🤣🤣🤣
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I think Joe was better without Mika , she seems so stiff and it looks like all she’s doing is reading a teleprompter, she doesn’t seem knowledgeable. PS Joe sometimes seem he’s not that alert , only about his past . Or maybe they should be on at seperate times
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I can’t understand why anyone watches Joe Scarborough. His guests or panel members, are great but he’s annoying at best. Give the time to one of the panel members. Haven’t watched it for a year now. I will not return with him as the lead.
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Rachel Maddow is the only show in town for me. She has all the latest news, shared by various other media outlets, plus she explains things in a relatable way. She compares how events in the past relate to what's going on today and the warnings they portent. She has signed on for every week-night since the inauguration for Trump's 1st 100 days but I wish she'd extend that indefinitely. When she signed on for the 1st 100 days she had no idea how much more volitant and extreme it would be. We need her expertise at reporting the intricacies what this administration is doing on a daily basis! The lives of many people and our very democracy is at stake!
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I’m sorry you believe that Rachel Maddow is a good “journalist” because she is only a radical “talking head” that cannot make a coherent point using facts
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I think morning joe is better without Mika. When Joe and Mika are together, it’s very awkward. Just looking at Mika, her facial expressions say it all. I’m bored, Joe talks too much, why am I here?
She seems very condescending and uninterested in anything Joe says.
As an anchor she should portray herself as someone who can put differences aside and do her job.
Maybe a change in anchors would be an option.
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Morning Joe should not have kissed the ring!
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MSNBCshame on you keeping the two butt kissers and getting rid of JOY REID etal.Stop watching the morning show,never again.Glad the viewership has decline,get rid of managership who made the dumb decision to keep the show on air.
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Their ratings had slipped to 20,000 right after their pilgrimage to mar-a-lago. It’s disappointing to see people are choosing to watch them again.
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I watched Morning Joe for many years but turned them off after their trip to Mara Lago to kiss the ring! They can put any spin on it they want but that only makes it worse because it’s insulting to play us for being stupid!
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I agree. It's baffling why people tune in to faux news, which is TERRIBLE. I think most of the information presented on MSNBC is accurate, and I love Rachel's broadcasts, as well as Nicole Wallace.
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I'm not surprised at the ratings for Morning Joe. I rarely watch as I find Joe and Mika to be very cringy. I am very surprised that Fox News is at the top of the ratings and it alarms me considering what's actually going on today. The viewers are not getting the real news, only the same lies, misinformation and manipulation. I rarely watch CNN as my go-to is MSNBC, especially The Rachel Maddow Show. In my book Rachel is the Queen of broadcasting. She presents the REAL news with supporting reporting from other media outlets and analysis and comparison to previous historical events that show how they relate to what's happening today.
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I must disagree with you! MSNBC is a joke and are so bias and spew misinformation and propaganda most of the time. As for Wallace, she should have been fired for her outrageous comments!
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This is like picking between perfumed garbage or non-perfumed garbage Lol. Dump Both and watch Fox. Your nerves and stomach will thank you !! 😀
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So you went to watching a station that spread lies and untruth Wow
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Yes, because nothing screams "not garbage" quite like Faux. 😘
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Fox = Nazi propaganda. Which is taught in Marketing classes as Nazi propaganda superior hoodwinking !!!
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I like Rachel Maddow and I love Lawrence O'Donnell, so I either watch those 2 or record and watch later. I still enjoy the Rev on the weekend. I can't watch faux more than a few minutes before I'm ready to gouge my eyes out and burst my eardrums! They make me sick! They lick Trump's azz!!!
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It took us months to watch again after their Mar a Lago field trip. They seem to have redeemed themselves and we returned to the show. I would never turn to FOX, and since the CNN leadership is bending too far right, we pick and choose their anchors.
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That’s why you’ll never know the real news .. Now they’re all admitting how they lied to protect Joe and not to offer any help to Trump. MSNBC especially Maddow is just opinion.
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I honestly don't believe these numbers anymore. Most people know Fox is a bullshit network and that they lie and misrepresent any story they don't like. Also, to hell with MSNBC (which I'm sure the owner would be happy about). They shouldn't have fired Joy Ann Reid. So, they can be put out of business like Target and like Walmart and all the rest of the racist companies need to be.
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Angry ??!!?? 😀 I know you miss Joy Racist Reid. But cheer up she’s still spewing Race Hate and trying to divide Americans on some podcast or other so you can still go there and sop up her Hate and Lies like biscuits and gravy. The reason Millions of people watch Fox is it’s Truth, Facts, and Fun !! The reason these other networks are crashing and 🔥🔥🔥 Now go watch Joy spew her Hate and cheer up !! 🤣😂🤣😂
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I liked Joy, but I also like her replacement. Doesn't feel like racism, maybe sexism? Nonetheless, they are a good source, like BBC, NPR.
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So glad my younger brother lead me to Fox News a long time ago !! Before that my nerves stayed shot, blood pressure way up, and stomach upset when watching these other “news” outlets. Thx Brother !!
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So that’s where you learn fascism 101 from Fox News.
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No I’m not a fascist or Nazi but I bet you’re a Socialist Communist. All Socialism is is slightly watered down Communism. But Hey nice try on your nutty part !! 😂
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All that says is you're happy being lied to. I would rather know the truth and fight to change the problems, instead of being comforted by lies. That's like a wife telling the husband he can cheat, as long as she doesn't know. The Republicans are lying to you!
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SORRY for you. FOX is so replete with lies, purposeful Disinformation, gaslighting, and never questions anything irrespective of how insane the discussion. no wonder it is considered entertainment, not news. Like the eating cats and dogs, Hillarys pizza parlor, gaslight a word like Woke,who cares?, obsessing over trans gender when there are <.1% of the population instead of looking at closure of NOAA, NASA, closing Social Security offices, rampant unfocused tarriffs......or taxpayers having to pay farmers, bail them out with tax payers money for a FOURTH time because of huge tarriffs on soy beans etc.
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Nope. faux news is like an entertainment show where few facts are presented, and every fact that may be in a part of their entertainment is so slanted, it is almost a lie. And, Wallace is brilliant
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Morning Joe decided to introduce a new "political commentator " this morning. I saw him cued up to speak about a political story, and thought that he must be readying for a following segment. But, no, it's " Pablo", their sports commentator who is a loud, hard to watch speaker, who must have done something to draw the attraction of "Joe". Switched channel.......
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Another Leftist tyrant Iwho will not tolerate dissent.
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I only spot-check the crazy right wing as it is only lies, always. I'm in horror at their ratings as it shows that the crazy Maga devotees are only getting the lies and manipulation and not what's really happening. The left needs to do a better job at defending our Constitution. Our very rights are at stake not to mention our very democracy.
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Few facts are presented??!?!!!!!?!!?!!?!?!? HOLY COW, then you are not truly listening!! FOX broadcasts NEWS, FACTS, and if you flip over to CNN or MSNBC, they are not even covering the story! Did you see those thousands of people illegally crossing the border on CNN or MSNBC? NO you didn't, and they did NOT tell you about Hunter's lap top UNTIL after Biden won, then many people who watched MSNBC said if they had heard that story, about the Corrupt Biden family and Hunter, they would never have voted for Biden...... well, if you had been watching FOX, YOU WOULD HAVE KNOW!!!
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Lies??? That is ALL that was given on CNN & MSNBC during the "Russia Collusion ", Hunter's Lap top, Hillary Clinton destroying, bleach bit her phones ?!?!?!? ...... the list is very long and that is why when it was proven all that Russia Collusion set up by Hillary Clinton , hoping she would win the \\pelection against Mr. Trump, were TOTALLY fabrication, I understand CNN and MSNBC 's ratings dropped a lot because people didn't like being made fools of and being lied to..... FOX broadcasts all the news.........If you wanted to see that TOTAL ILLEGAL INVASION that was allowed to happen because Biden literally OPENED the border, you ONLY saw the actual crossing on FOX, the other networks NEVER show any positive things that President Trump is doing for our country. I will stay with FOX and they give he TRUE facts!! Like, Fox called Biden's mental decline and showed the film clips to support it, BUT......... you would never see or hear this on CNN or MSNBC........ when I watch FOX , many shows ::::: ........ Outnumbered, America Newsroom, The Faulkner Focus, The Five, The Will Cain show, The list goes on into the night, I feel so sad that alot of America isn't hearing this news, and not knowing The Truth!!! Remember, after the story of Hunter Biden's lap top finally was allowed to come out AFTER Biden won the election, (Fox was reporting it), MANY said IF they had known they never would have voted Bide
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I can’t stand Joe Scarborough. The show should be (and should always have been) ‘Mika in the Morning”! She is the one with the experience, intelligence, and knowledge of politics, history, and world events. Every time I try to watch a clip of them on YouTube (I’m not a morning person and I don’t keep television on all day), it will start off ok and then Joe will interrupt the first guest while they are speaking their first sentence and just babble on and on and on - it’s maddening! He even interrupts Mika! Occasionally I’ll catch a reply of a day when Joe isn’t there and the show is so much better. They should ditch him and give her a raise!
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The inherent problem with that approach is you'll never know if/when they change the show's format. Yes, Joe's almost as tiresome as his female co-host. I used to go to Planet Fitness which doesn't even have msnbc on any of their 20-something monitors. They have Fox Disinfomation on 5. If you look past their choice of hosts, their guests are well chosen. They are the reason I watch, not Scarborough and Bresinski.
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Want better???? Then Watch FOX!! ~ the truth flows on that Network......
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Is that your "guess" because it's not true.
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Well you summed it up in a nutshell. mika is apparently not smart enough or is incapable of READING to understand what is going on in the world today, so she is not part of any discussion, unless it is her project, "know your value."
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Maddow is an excellent journalist and she fact checks with professionals while she is on the air after all of her pieces. ALL of her presentations are coherent and full of interesting FACTUAL information. Too bad she is so smart that you don't seem to be able to understand what she is saying. Now I know why faux news is your place to go...🤣
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The reason FOX settled instead of going to court was because the board who runs FOX are never Trumpers who hate him. They didn't want any real evidence getting to the public that exposed the election fraud from the voting machines.
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JOE NEVER SHUTS UP! A. Table full of guests who RARELY get to speak fully. I stopped watching this narassitic blather long ago. Certainly producers, hear this from viewers.
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The Monday they came back and announced their little suck up visit was the last time I watched them.
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Every Fox show is more honest and entertaining than anything CNN or MSNBC has to offer. Joe and Mika need to retire.
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Why does Morning Joe Show continue to have guests use Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts drink cups on table? It lowers the credibility of the show to always be advertising.
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ALL networks need to hit the “reset “ button, JUST REPORT news like years ago with Conkrite & other news casters.
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I love Morning Joe. I also like BBC Correspondent Katy Kay. She is so knowledgeable!
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Then they would have to close down NPR & PBS. They both take $ from 'big donors"....... The US taxpayers.
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I think the show should be shut down . the balls on him to tell the american people f you about biden , this has been bothering me for a long time , all of my freinds are not watching CNN any more Good luck with him dragging cnn down
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CNN News Central is doing a much better job recently about presenting both sides of issues. The morning team gets along well and provides clear and concise reporting. Guests are knowledgeable. I believe Willie Geist and the guest panelists are the only reason people still watch Morning Joe. It is painful to listen to Joe’s rants and he constantly interrupts everyone who is speaking. In addition, topics presented on Morning Joe always feels rushed as if keeping to the pre-set schedule is more important than fully covering an issue.
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Agreed. It used to be about "what was being said" Now it's about who's saying it. People get hooked up to personalities and anoint them as richly informed. As if they could run the world so much better at any given time ..... and then, pay them millions of dollars. 🤔
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I would rather watch paint peal than watch that four-eyed POS!
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Agree with you Bern. Have no idea what Gue is watching.
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If you want to keep Morning Joe older viewers.....cut out the blasting "music" !
I can forgive Joe a lot...but when the crazy music comes on...I'm out of there and sometimes forget to come back
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Exactly, but how to fix it. Can we judge the "truth" in black and white? Would left or right interpret the laws?
FOX has to defame someone with money, who is not afraid, and is willing for that battle.
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I think that as a moderate I like to read all the wire service stories rather than than watch the oft crazy right wing or the more oft crazier left . If the amount of viewers is as reported , that's pretty sad for a country of almost 400,000,000 .
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right wing news lies to you, it's why they were sued. You don't see left wing news being sued and it's because they know if they bring lies to a judge's face they'll be jailed.
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No you see Left wing “news” making near constant retractions to Keep From being sued. 🤣🤣😂
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