MSNBC contributor Jennifer Rubin didn’t hold back on her podcast, launching sharp criticism at her own network and its stars Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. Rubin slammed them for meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, accusing them of betraying their audience’s trust.
On “Jen Rubin’s Green Room,” she voiced her frustration. “What were they thinking? Who do they think their audience was?” Rubin asked, suggesting their actions were about self-preservation. “These are rich, famous people. What have they got to worry about? It’s just appalling how eager elites are to curry favor.”
Rubin accused the pair of losing viewers. “They are hemorrhaging their audience,” she said. Rubin then addressed the bigger issue, pointing to MSNBC’s struggles. “Cable television is dying,” she declared. She questioned whether the network’s future business model could sustain high salaries like Rachel Maddow’s. “A year from now, will MSNBC even exist?” she pondered.
Offering advice, Rubin urged MSNBC to innovate. “Get rid of the pattern of chewing over the same three or four stories all day,” she said. She suggested looking at fresh approaches, like satire or lighter news formats. “They should look to models like The Onion,” she added.
Rubin didn’t hold back her scorn. “Viewers get more from a John Oliver monologue than from a day or two of CNN or MSNBC,” she said. She acknowledged her role as an MSNBC contributor but insisted on her honesty. “This is not gonna work. It’s failing,” she said.
She urged Democrats to adapt. “They’re relying on dying outlets in a dying industry,” Rubin warned. “They need to reach people who don’t like politics all that much.” She argued that innovation was key to engaging audiences and avoiding repeated failures.
Closing her critique, Rubin vowed to be different. “You can always come here. I’m gonna tell you what I think. Unlike Mika and Joe, I care about my audience,” she said. She invited her listeners to share their views, emphasizing her commitment to open dialogue.
Rubin also targeted NBC’s hiring decisions, including backlash over the hiring of Ronna McDaniel. On social media, she encouraged viewers to tune out “Morning Joe.” “If you don’t appreciate your audience, you’re going to lose them,” she wrote.
The Washington Post, her other employer, wasn’t spared. Rubin criticized Jeff Bezos for halting endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris. “I don’t believe the reason stated,” she said. She suggested the move was a concession to Trump and condemned it as a betrayal of democracy.
“It’s inconceivable,” she said, questioning Bezos’s priorities. “A billionaire who owns a newspaper bending to Trump at the worst possible moment? Unacceptable.” Rubin’s fiery remarks reflected her frustration with media and political elites alike.