Many students get waitlisted at the College. Few, however, are as bold as Mika Brzezinski ’89, who was so determined to get in that she spent the summer working in Williamstown and even knocked on the President’s door — and it worked.
Brzezinski, now a co-host of the MSNBC television show Morning Joe along with her husband Joe Scarborough, sat down with the Record to discuss her favorite memories from the College, highlights from her career as a TV journalist, and her approach to reporting — along with how she views the media’s role during the Trump administration.
Brzezinski said that she always knew she was destined for journalism. Her father, Zbigniew Brzezinski, served as President Jimmy Carter’s national security advisor, and she remembers accompanying him to his appearances on Nightline and Meet the Press.
Brzezinski’s path to the College was unconventional. “I applied and I got rejected, so I went to Georgetown University,” she said. “Then I got rejected [as a transfer student] for sophomore year.”
Brzezinski was especially determined to attend the College. The summer before her junior year at Georgetown, she worked at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and would stop by at then-President Francis Oakley’s house during her runs. “They’d say, ‘He’s not here,’ and I would reply, ‘Could you tell him Mika Brzezinski stopped by? I’m on the waiting list, and I would really like to get in.’”
Despite her persistence, Brzezinski didn’t make it off the list until September. “I don’t know what caused a student to not show up, but I got off the waitlist,” she recalled. Once she was accepted, she drove up to the College and moved into Bryant.
“It was violently quick, and I loved every second there,” she said of her time at the College. “I think I had this special appreciation for it at the moment because of all the rejections.”
At the College, Brzezinski majored in English and ran on the track team under Coach Larry Bell. Her runs through the Town — especially those up Bee Hill — remain some of her fondest memories. “Every time I ran, I never lost a sense of wonderment about how beautiful it is,” she said. “I went to Williams because of the beauty of Williamstown. You get this incredible education in this incredible environment.”
During her time at the College, Brzezinski interned at nearby TV stations over the summer, and even hosted her own cable show in North Adams, called Hidden Issues. “I took an issue and did eight shows on it, where I interviewed people,” she said. “The issue was teenage pregnancy. In the late ’80s, North Adams was fifth-in-the-nation in terms of high rate of teenage pregnancies.”
“I loved working in North Adams, and trying to shine a light on an area that didn’t get enough attention,” she said. “That really inspired me to be a journalist. I spent many years at CBS [News] traveling the country, going to places like North Adams, and trying to tell stories of people who perhaps otherwise wouldn’t have [had] a voice.”
Brzezinski’s career mirrored the twists and turns of her journey to the College. She began working as an assistant at ABC’s World News This Morning in 1990. In 1997, she joined CBS and quickly became a household name as a “Ground Zero” reporter during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, when she was broadcasting live as the south tower collapsed. In 2006, at 39, she was fired from CBS and pivoted to freelance work at MSNBC.
Brzezinski shared how she turned the setback of her termination from CBS into an opportunity, leading her to co-host Morning Joe. “I was at the right place at the right time.” she said. “Eighteen years later, I’m still here. Setbacks are actually a new path to success. You just have to be able to see it in the moment, which is really hard.”
Brzezinski joined Morning Joe as a co-host in April 2007 and has been with the program ever since. On Morning Joe, she’s hosted prominent political figures from former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), as well as cultural icons like musician Stevie Nicks.
Even under the second administration of President Donald Trump, who has referred to the media as the “enemy of the American people,” Brzezinski remains confident in her work as a reporter. “I have tried very hard to communicate effectively what I believe would be the consequences of the Trump administration by citing his own words and actions,” she said. “It’s a very serious and potentially grave time for our country. What I see about our jobs in this environment is just to constantly, confidently continue to tell people what is going on and to stick to the facts and not get too far ahead of the story.”
“It’s a weird time. That’s for sure,” she added.
Brzezinski sees the rise of fake news as a major challenge for the media industry. “I am very concerned about disinformation, propaganda, and websites and news sources that claim to be reporting on the news and they are not,” she said. “Everyone needs to be their own fact checker.”
“I find [it] so disturbing that hate, anger, and shock seem to sell,” she said. “Whether it’s on social media or news programs.”
Reflecting on her trajectory, Brzezinski said that hosting Morning Joe — the most-watched cable show in its 6 a.m. slot — has been the best part of her career. “Creating and co-hosting the show and developing Joe’s concepts has been a complete 18-year highlight of my career,” she said. “I thought I was winding down when I started this, so I’m still in amazement about it all.”
In 2015, Brzezinski launched Know Your Value, a nationwide movement empowering women to recognize and claim their personal and professional worth. In 2020, Know Your Value partnered with Forbes to create its first-ever 50 over 50 list, celebrating 50 women who’ve achieved extraordinary success later in life.
She explained how supporting women’s rights is more crucial than ever. “I very much want to use my platform to make sure that women’s voices are heard and stories are told,” she said. “Women’s rights are now the number-one focus of Know Your Value. Women’s access to life-saving health care has been completely reduced to rubble with the fall of Roe.”
“Women are in a dangerous place pertaining to their healthcare,” she added. “I’ve had more rights for most of my life than my daughters have now.”
Brzezinski wrapped up the call with career advice for aspiring journalists or any student at the College, emphasizing the importance of patience. “Take your time,” she said. “You have a long runway. You have a way longer time than I ever thought I had to reach your dreams.”
