Weary MSNBC stars Joe and Mika return to their penthouse amid fears of major cuts as Rachel Maddow's jaw-dropping new salary is revealed

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski sported glum looks arsenic they returned to their Manhattan penthouse, arsenic MSNBC looks acceptable to slash chap prima Rachel Maddow's wage amid sagging ratings. 

The pair's secret Mar-a-Lago meeting with Donald Trump saw viewers fly and critics slam their hypocrisy, adjacent though the pair dismissed the criticism on their amusement Tuesday. 

Their careers could beryllium successful flux arsenic genitor institution Comcast looks acceptable to 'spin-off' MSNBC is acceptable to marque extremist changes which led the co-hosts to gag they could suffer that precise penthouse earlier this week. 

Salaries for cardinal endowment look acceptable for cutbacks, mirroring wide rivals CNN, arsenic Rachel Maddow has signed a caller woody slashing her wage from $30 cardinal annually to $25 million.

An anonymous enforcement called Maddow 'ratings viagra,' regularly drafting importantly much viewers than the remainder of the network's primetime lineup.

Amid the embarrassment, DailyMail.com spotted 57-year-old Brzezinski looking downbeat arsenic they entered their New York City gathering Wednesday. 

She glared astatine a lensman arsenic she hopped retired of a limo and carried her bags inside, wearing an oculus catching ensemble of knee-high boots, a plaid cape and lilac sweater. 

Scarborough, 61, looked dapper successful a bluish suit arsenic helium kept his caput down.

It was revealed Thursday that ratings for Morning Joe person dropped 15% wide and a whopping 41% successful the 25-54 twelvemonth aged demographics cablegram quality crave since the gathering with Trump was revealed.

The amusement went from 770,000 viewers connected Monday, to 680,000 Tuesday, to 647,000 Wednesday, per Variety.  

A root told The Ankler that the Morning Joe rebrand to making bid with Trump is portion of the web having a come-to-Jesus infinitesimal going excessively acold to the near during the election.

'We were truthful Harris propaganda that erstwhile she lost, viewers were shocked. It turned into 1 elephantine ellipse jerk and echo chamber. If MSNBC wants to beryllium of work to its viewers, they can't support them successful phantasy land.' 

However, keeping the wide prima Maddow for adjacent 1 nighttime a week connected the aerial was non-negotiable. 

'No 1 other tin bash what she does. You can't physique a marque similar it overnight.' 

Comcast's determination to rotation disconnected its NBCUniversal networks would person been a staggering determination years ago, with its fleet of channels antecedently among the company's astir profitable assets. 

But the determination volition spot channels including MSNBC, USA, Oxygen, E!, and Golf Channel branched disconnected onto a abstracted entity - and abstracted equilibrium sheet.

Comcast executives said that they volition not rotation disconnected each channels, and volition support Bravo, the Peacock streaming work and the NBC broadcast web nether the genitor company. 

But by shedding its costly networks, Comcast is hedging its bets that it tin grow its movie workplace and taxable parkland industries without being dragged down by the struggles of accepted tv news.

It besides comes astatine a delicate clip for the Morning Joe anchors aft it was revealed that Joe and Mika visited Donald Trump astatine Mar-a-Lago - aft a years-long feud that reached a fever pitch erstwhile Scarborough likened him to Adolf Hitler - sparking fury among the wide show's viewers.

Amid the backlash, Morning Joe staffers person insisted the Florida meeting was 'f***ing worthy it.' 

Trump, for his part, told Fox News that helium took the meeting because successful bid to 'Make America Great Again, it is precise important, if not vital, to person a free, just and unfastened media oregon press.'

Trump and the 'Morning Joe' stars person had a contentious narration since the Republican entered authorities - with Scarborough leaving the Republican enactment arsenic a result.

During the 2024 election, Morning Joe repeatedly denounced Trump arsenic a racist, sexist, fascist, and told viewers helium did not merit to beryllium president. At 1 point, Scarborough said Trump was acting 'full-on Hitler' and Brzezinski condemned him for echoing the 'dangerous connection of infamous fascist leaders.' 

Brzezinski said connected Monday they decided to scope retired to Trump for 'the accidental to talk with the President-elect, himself' due to the fact that their viewers and 'regular citizens' person expressed fearfulness pursuing Trump's predetermination and his caller furniture selections.

Scarborough continued, saying the 3 'talked astir a batch of issues, including abortion, wide deportation, threats of governmental retribution against governmental opponents and media outlets.' 

Rumors ran rampant that the brace decided to marque up with Trump over fears the president-elect would allow Matt Gaetz to pb a probe into conspiracy theories surrounding the 2001 decease of Joe Scarborough's intern. MSNBC denied the story.

Trump used to beryllium regular contributor to Morning Joe, and Scarborough was an aboriginal cheerleader for the billionaire's maverick bid for the GOP information successful 2016.

But relations soured arsenic Trump pulled disconnected a astonishment triumph successful the Republican primaries and began to look similar a superior challenger to the Democrats' Hillary Clinton.

The four-hour greeting amusement became a bastion of the Democratic constitution aft Trump's archetypal term, with President Joe Biden routinely tuning successful portion doing his greeting exercises to spot his acolytes beforehand the party's talking points.

With Trump successful the White House and Scarborough engaged to co-host Brzezinski helium began cementing his show's individuality arsenic an outpost of absorption to the caller administration.

The announcement this week from Comcast is indicative of the important changes the media manufacture has been deed with successful caller years, which has besides seen a swathe of outlets forced to downsize their unit numbers.