MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' off air Monday on first day of GOP convention

MSNBC removed its "Morning Joe" program from the airwaves Monday as the GOP convention begins.

The network will instead air its news coverage of the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

“Given the gravity and complexity of this unfolding story, NBC News, NBC News NOW and MSNBC have remained in rolling breaking news coverage since Saturday evening," the cable news channel, the most liberal-leaning in the NBC portfolio, told CNN.

"As we continue to cover this story into the week, the networks will continue to cross simulcast, alternating between NBC News, NBC News NOW and ‘MSNBC Reports,’ so there is one news feed covering this developing situation.”

However, CNN also reported that a person familiar with the matter said the decision was made to avoid a scenario in which one of the show’s stable of two dozen-plus guests might make an inappropriate comment on live television that could be used to assail the program and network as a whole.

A spokesperson from MSNBC told Just the News that the network denies CNN's reporting, explaining that the decision not to air the program is standard procedure when there is a major breaking news event.

"It's false," said the spokesperson. 

"Tune in to @msnbc tomorrow morning for continued coverage of the attempted assassination of former President Trump. Regularly scheduled @Morning_Joe will return on Tuesday," read a post on X Sunday evening.

Joe Scarborough and his wife Mika Brzezinski are the co-hosts of "Morning Joe."