It features former US Representative (Independent) Joe Scarborough reporting and discussing the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski (whom Scarborough married in November 2018),[2] Willie Geist, who regularly co-hosts from Tuesdays to Fridays, and Jonathan Lemire, along with recurring and special guests.

[3] He put together what would become Morning Joe with Scarborough Country executive producer Chris Licht and screenwriter John Ridley.

[4] On April 9, 2007, the show debuted as one of a series of rotating programs auditioning for Imus's former slot, with Scarborough joined by co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Ridley.

[5][6] Scarborough had personally asked Brzezinski to co-host with him the night before the first audition, while she was a "cut-in" presenter during MSNBC's primetime schedule on a freelance basis.

[9][10] Morning Joe continues to regularly place second in total viewers and younger demographic to Fox & Friends, ahead of other cable news competitors including CNN's New Day.

[14][15] In May 2017, for the first time in the program's history, Morning Joe attracted an average of over 1 million daily total viewers for the month.

[22] Scarborough claims that, at least on WABC, the show beat the Glenn Beck Program in the New York City radio market's Arbitron ratings.

On July 17, 2023, Scarborough hosted a third special, where he interviewed Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr.. On November 30, 2023, MSNBC announced a new weekend morning program hosted by Michael Steele, Symone Sanders-Townsend and Alicia Menendez titled The Weekend that premiered on January 13, 2024 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

"[33][34] The comments, widely reacted to as sexist and unfair, were criticized by such diverse media figures as Bill O'Reilly,[33] Joy Behar,[35] and Gloria Steinem.

[37] In another incident on June 29, 2011, then Time editor-at-large Mark Halperin commented that the president came off as "kind of a dick" during the previous day's press conference.

Although the hosts previously consumed Starbucks coffee on air "for free", in the words of MSNBC president Phil Griffin, it was not paid placement at that time.

[44] On June 8, Stewart feigned embarrassment over missing their alleged sarcasm, claiming, "At the time, I thought your jokey manner was just a way of sublimating your shame over the discomfort you feel deep in your soul after extinguishing the last smoldering embers of any of your program's journalistic bona fides.

On the October 8, 2009 edition of his radio show, Limbaugh fired back by saying that Scarborough was "doing his best impression of [...] a neutered chickified moderate".

Scarborough responded the next day on Morning Joe, faulting Limbaugh for uncritical loyalty to George W. Bush during the president's tenure in office.

[47] The Morning Joe interview with actor and comedian Russell Brand, a segment in the episode that aired on June 17, 2013, went viral on the internet.

In a final apparent attempt to offer an olive branch of humor to Brzezinski, Brand quipped "this woman is a shaft grasper" after she appeared to nervously stroke her water bottle.

The criticism was further exacerbated by a hot mic recording published by Harry Shearer on his podcast, where Scarborough and Brzezinski discuss with Trump the positive coverage of him, and the possible questions the candidate could get in their upcoming interview.

On the morning of June 29, the president posted a series of tweets mocking Scarborough and Brzezinski, with his comments about the latter widely condemned as misogynistic.

The hosts responded with an op-ed in The Washington Post, in which they described White House officials warning them of a negative article that would be published in the National Enquirer if they refused to apologize for their coverage of Trump.