Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski was missing from her seat on the show Thursday, the day after she called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a “wannabe dictator’s butt-boy” over his response to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The homophobic quip landed the host and newlywed in hot water. On Thursday, co-host and husband Joe Scarborough briefly addressed her absence: “Mika has the day off with her family, a long-planned family event.” She was repeatedly mentioned, including in discussion of news stories that, as Scarborough said, “Mika would want to discuss.” She will return to work on Friday. On Wednesday, after the comment, Brzezinski was immediately apologetic, tweeting: “SUPER BAD choice of words... SO SORRY!”
