REPORT: ‘Morning Joe’ And Mika ‘At War’ With Rachel Maddow As Tensions At MS NOW Explode

The liberal cable network once known as MSNBC is reportedly cracking under a nasty ego war between its biggest on-air stars, according to a plugged-in insider who says the rebrand to MS NOW has only made tensions worse.

“Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski are said to be feuding with primetime powerhouse Rachel Maddow, who was positioned as the undisputed face of the network during the recent shake-up.

Entertainment columnist Rob Shuter, who runs the Naughty But Nice Substack, told the Daily Mail that Scarborough and Brzezinski still see themselves as the network’s top draws. Maddow, however, pulls in higher ratings and a sky-high salary, and is said to bristle when the morning hosts land a big scoop that shapes the day’s news cycle.

“Let’s be honest, the tension is real,” Shuter said after speaking with a senior “Morning Joe” producer. “Joe and Mika run their show like a cozy morning salon, but everyone knows Rachel is the boss.” Shuter added that Maddow’s team guards her primetime slot “the way Fort Knox guards gold,” which only fuels the friction.

He said the mood inside MS NOW shifts whenever “Morning Joe” breaks a major story. “Rachel’s camp hates having the narrative shaped before their queen steps on stage. They’re all under the same roof, but trust me Rachel’s universe has gravity, and everyone else orbits around it.”

Far-left MS NOW anchors Chris Hayes (left) and Rachel Maddow (right)

The network insists nothing is brewing behind the scenes. An MS NOW spokesperson called any talk of host rivalries “absurd.”

“Morning Joe” airs weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. and the married hosts reportedly each pull in eight to ten million dollars a year. The program is averaging 625,000 viewers, a sharp 42 percent drop from the same period last year, according to Nielsen.

Maddow, meanwhile, appears only on Monday nights at 9 p.m., yet draws a massive 1.9 million viewers a week. She reportedly earns twenty-five million dollars a year as the network’s top-rated star.

Shuter said Maddow maintains the most clout at MS NOW, even with a once-a-week schedule. He described the atmosphere inside the network’s new Times Square studios as competitive and charged. “There’s no screaming match in the hallways, but the rivalry hums like electricity,” he said. “Joe and Mika see themselves as the engine of the network. But Rachel Rachel is the North Star. When you’ve got that many egos and only one true center of gravity, it gets spicy.”

All three hosts remain central to the brand. “Morning Joe” is still the network’s top morning program, and Maddow’s show remains the biggest overall ratings draw. But the insider said the stars operate in different lanes and that alone breeds tension. “Joe and Mika chase conversation and access. Rachel deals in accountability and depth. And because she’s the one with the real editorial clout, that difference creates what I like to call premium-grade, artisanal tension.”

MS NOW continues to insist the chatter is nothing more than industry gossip.

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