Morning Joe Awkwardly Jokes About Comcast Selling Off MSNBC [Video]

Things got a bit awkward when Morning Joe addressed a Wall Street Journal report that Comcast was planning to spinoff its suite of NBC Universal-owned cable channels, including the very network that employs them — MSNBC.

WSJ’s Amol Sharma broke the news Tuesday evening, reporting:

Comcast is expected to announce Wednesday that it is moving forward with a plan to spin off its NBCUniversal cable TV networks, according to people familiar with the situation, acknowledging that it will be better off without a business that was once its crown jewel.

The company, which last month said it was studying the idea, will separate off entertainment and news channels including MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Oxygen, E!, Syfy and Golf Channel. Those assets generated about $7 billion in revenue in the 12 months ended Sept. 30

Given the recent challenges facing linear television operators—combined with MSNBC’s death spiral of poor ratings following the election of Donald Trump—the news that its corporate overlord …