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Fact check: Are ratings for MSNBC’s Morning Joe program high or low?
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry appearing on Morning Joe
August 23, 2016
By Terry Phillips
MSNBC host and former Florida Congressman Joe Scarborough called on GOP leaders to replace Donald Trump as their nominee in a Washington Post op-ed on August 9, 2016.[1] In a tweet the next day, Trump responded by claiming that Scarborough’s Morning Joe ratings were low. Scarborough, in turn, claimed that his ratings are at an all-time high.
Who is correct about the show’s ratings?
Scarborough is correct. Based on audience size as measured by Nielsen Media Research, Morning Joe last month recorded its best ratings since the show debuted in 2007—an increase of nearly 50 percent. However, the show ranks a distant second to cable competitor Fox & Friends on the Fox News Channel (FNC), but consistently leads CNN’s New Day program in the same time slot.
Background
Scarborough was a lawyer in Florida before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican in 1994.[2] He served three terms, then resigned on September 5, 2001.[3] In 2007, MSNBC paired him with Mika Brzezinski to co-host the Morning Joe program.
The Twitter exchange
In his Post commentary, Scarborough listed several reasons why he thought Trump was unqualified to be president, including the following statement that Trump made about Hillary Clinton: “If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know.”[4]
Trump responded to Scarborough’s op-ed with this tweet: "Morning Joe's weakness is its low ratings. I don't watch anymore but I heard he went wild against Rudy Giuliani and #2A - sad & irrelevant!"[5][6]
Scarborough then replied with his own tweet: "Donald thanks for continuing to obsess over our irrelevant show that you watch everyday. Highest ratings ever. Glad!"[7]
Morning Joe ratings
Morning Joe premiered on MSNBC on April 9, 2007, and its viewership that year averaged an estimated 237,000 people, according to Nielsen Media Research. In the latest ratings report (April 1 to June 30, 2016), the three most-watched cable news programs in the 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. time period were Fox & Friends (FNC), Morning Joe (MSNBC), and New Day (CNN). The table below presents viewership data for Morning Joe and its main cable competitors. These are estimates for each year of the average viewers during one minute of program time. The figures in parentheses represent the estimated average percentage of U.S. viewers during one minute of program time.[8]
| Year | Morning Joe (MSNBC) | American Morning/New Day (CNN) | Fox & Friends (FNC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 237,000 (0.2) | - | 849,000 (0.7) |
| 2008 | 391,000 (0.3) | - | 1,034,000 (0.8) |
| 2009 | 384,000 (0.3) | - | 1,027,000 (0.8) |
| 2010 | 388,000 (0.3) | - | 1,015,000 (0.8) |
| 2011 | 452,000 (0.4) | - | 1,011,000 (0.8) |
| 2012 | 460,000 (0.4) | - | 1,131,000 (0.9) |
| 2013 | 407,000 (0.4) | 283,000 (0.2) | 1,130,000 (0.9) |
| 2014 | 347,000 (0.3) | 319,000 (0.3) | 1,047,000 (0.8) |
| 2015 | 414,000 (0.3) | 362,000 (0.3) | 996,000 (0.7) |
| 2016* | 619,000 (0.5) | 480,000 (0.4) | 1,158,000 (0.9) |
| *To July 31, 2016 Sources: Nielsen Media Research and Adweek Note: CNN's early program was called American Morning from 2001 until 2011. New Day premiered in 2013. | |||
Conclusion
The audience size for Morning Joe has varied since its premiere in 2007, but it posted an increase of nearly 50 percent between 2015 and 2016 (to date)—its highest ratings ever. However, it has always lagged cable competitor Fox & Friends but leads CNN’s New Day program.
Launched in October 2015 and active through October 2018, Fact Check by Ballotpedia examined claims made by elected officials, political appointees, and political candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. We evaluated claims made by politicians of all backgrounds and affiliations, subjecting them to the same objective and neutral examination process. As of 2025, Ballotpedia staff periodically review these articles to revaluate and reaffirm our conclusions. Please email us with questions, comments, or concerns about these articles. To learn more about fact-checking, click here.
Sources and Notes
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The GOP must dump Trump," August 9, 2016
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Scarborough, Charles Joseph, (1963 - )," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ MSNBC, "Joe Scarborough," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Donald Trump Suggests ‘Second Amendment People’ Could Act Against Hillary Clinton," August 9, 2016
- ↑ Twitter, "Donald J. Trump tweet," August 10, 2016
- ↑ The term #2A" referred to the Second Amendment.
- ↑ Twitter, Joe Scarborough tweet," August 10, 2016
- ↑ This data was supplied to Ballotpedia by Nielsen and Adweek.
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