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I’ve been hearing about this for the past week or so, so I looked into it. Herewith, the “mystery” of “Where in the World is Morning Joe?” solved. Thread:
First, it’s not entirely clear from these shots where Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski are. There’s no on-screen graphic (or “chyron”), marking their locale, as most TV news programs do, and no announcement, as is typical on other news programs. 
But “Morning Joe” does use backdrops that suggests the hosts are in Washington. See? White House, Capitol--Washington. So Joe and Mika are in D.C., right?
And the panel, they’ve got a Washington backdrop, too. So they’re in Washington, too?
Nope. The panel is on the “Morning Joe” set at 30 Rock in New York.
So where are Joe and Mika? Well, MSNBC says they’re in Florida.
Florida? Why Florida? And where in Florida? MSNBC won’t answer the second question, but people at the show say they their locale is Jupiter, Fla.
Why Jupiter? Well, for one thing, the weather is much nicer there than New York City this time of year. But Mika and Joe own a home there. And both have parents living in Florida that they’re looking after.
So how come Joe and Mika never appear in the same camera shot? Two reasons: They’re broadcasting from a home studio in Jupiter. And there’s no formal set in their home studio, just a couple of (Washington) backdrops. Thus, a wide shot is out of the question.
What you don’t see in these shots: Joe and Mika are actually sitting a few feet away from each other. But they each address their own camera rather than turning to speak to each other (because doing that would expose the fact that they’re sitting on a makeshift set).
Awkward? Well, yes. People on the show say the multistate production arrangement has caused some concern about its affect on the “chemistry” of the panelists and the co-hosts. They say having everyone on set at the same time creates a smoother show (and is easier to produce).
There seems to be less concern about whether this arrangement is transparent--i.e., backdrops that suggest Washington, lack of disclosure about the hosts’ whereabouts. Not the usual MO of news or news-discussion programs.
So why do it this way? Well, people at the program say MSNBC has given Joe and Mika a lot of leeway because the show is doing so well. “Morning Joe’s” overall audience grew 12 percent during 2018 (averaging 1.1 million daily)...
...while its direct cable-news rivals, CNN’s “New Day” and Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” have lost viewers (F&F ranks first in the timeslot; MJ is second). That’s the highest in MSNBC’s 21-year history in the 6 to 9 a.m. timeslot.
P.S.: Scarborough didn’t respond to my request for comment. End.
