Joe Scarborough: No, I’m Not ‘Angling’ To Take Over ‘Meet The Press’

MSNBC's "Morning Joe" co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, right, attend the 2013 Matrix New York Women in Communications Awards at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Monday April 22, 2013 in New York. (Photo by E... MSNBC's "Morning Joe" co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, right, attend the 2013 Matrix New York Women in Communications Awards at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Monday April 22, 2013 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) MORE LESS
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Joe Scarborough on Thursday brushed off rumors that he and his “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski were “aggressively angling” to replace David Gregory as the hosts of NBC’s “Meet The Press.”

Page Six reported Wednesday, citing anonymous NBC sources, that Gregory may be replaced as the moderator of the long-running Sunday show soon after the midterm elections. The tabloid reported that Scarborough and Brzezinski had been jockeying for the Sunday slot, and The Daily Beast also ran its own anonymously sourced item stating that the MSNBC co-hosts had been “aggressively angling for the job in the event of Gregory’s all-but-certain demise.”

Some NBC insiders expressed concern about Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, taking the helm of the ostensibly nonpartisan Sunday show, according to the Page Six report.

Scarborough denied on Twitter that he and Brzezinski were “aggressively angling” for the job:

Ratings for “Meet The Press” have been flagging recently, apparently prompting NBC to bring in branding and marketing consultants to work with Gregory to try to turn things around. An NBC spokesperson told Page Six to take the “false rumors” about Gregory “with a grain of salt, as we did.”

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Notable Replies

  1. If MTP really wants their ratings to tank, sure bring on Joe and his dummy sidekick.

  2. Compared to Moaning Ho, David Gregory is the new Edward R. Murrow crossed with Walter Cronkite.

    It is difficult to imagine a less-qualified person for MTP than Scarborough.

  3. I have nothing good to say about Scar, but I’m not sure if he would be much of a step down from Gregory. At least Joe’s transparently a partisan hack instead of a purportedly objective DC insider sycophant.

  4. I’m surprised no one has yet commented on this ultimate non-denial:

    There have been numerous stories with NBC News sources saying that Mika and I have been “aggressively angling” for MTP. That is false.
    — Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) July 24, 2014

    So if his self-promotion has merely been passionate, single-minded, incessant, implacable, irrepressible, never-ending, mind-numbing,maddeningly repetitive, domineering, he can deny the whole thing because he doesn’t think it was also “aggressive?”

  5. If Gregory is crossing with anyone, it’s his lifelong idol, John McCain.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

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