Mika Brzezinski Forced to Apologize After Gaffe

By Ronn TorossianJanuary 2, 20183 min read

Mika Brzezinski Forced to Apologize After Gaffe

Share

Sometimes, no matter what you say, you’re wrong… What you decide to say in those situations, that’s your business…unless you say it on national TV. Then, well, it tends to become everyone’s business. Just ask MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski. After journalist Mark Halperin was accused of sexual harassment, Brzezinski chose to discuss the issue live on “Morning Joe.” Her comments included a discussion of her opinion that Halperin, who she says is a friend, would be “willing to meet with his accusers and apologize face-to-face…” Those comments, among others, upset some of the women who have accused Halperin as well as those advocating for them. One of the women, Emily Miller, has previously accused Halperin of “attacking” her, said she was very upset by the remarks. Miller added that Brzezinski had invited her onto the show to confront Halperin. Speaking to CNN, Miller said: “She did invite me to go on the show with him so she could mediate and it had to be an exclusive… I can't re-traumatize myself to be in the same room with him to please Mika Brzezinski and her rich and famous friends… She wants the ratings and Jerry Springer. And seemingly she now wants to help her rich, powerful friend get back into power. He's not going to change. Sexual predators like Mark Halperin cannot be rehabilitated. He should not be allowed to be alone around any women -- much less his victims.” These very strong remarks have been echoed by other Halperin accusers, including Lara Setrakian, who said: “The whole decision making around what should come next begins with him being an adult and begins with him speaking as an adult, not through a proxy.” Miller added, speaking to CNN, “(Halperin) has, on the record, denied my accusations which is extremely painful as a victim to be denied the truth. It is disgusting and unethical of Mika to use the power of her show to shame me, a sexual assault victim, into meeting with the man who did that to me.” After those comments, Brzezinski was quick to clarify and apologize, saying: “We have been trying our best on Morning Joe to have an honest conversation about sexual harassment and sexual assault… The issue has hit close to home given that Mark Halperin was on our show. I have spent a lot of time talking to some of his accusers and to Mark himself. Often I bring up the issue on our show because I think it would be less than genuine to talk about the growing number of cases without recognizing that a former member of our team acted very badly.” Brzezinski continued, offering her apology for causing any pain to the alleged victims… “In our discussion about sexual harassment this morning, I said some things that hurt people… My goal today was to start a conversation about hearing from the men whenever we can, but I realize that it is not my place. It isn't my call to make, and for that, I am truly sorry. As a victim of sexual assault, I understand that each individual's case is different. This is up to the victims, some of whom I've been in contact with. My hope is for all of us to come together to support the brave women who speak out and help make workplaces safer as we continue this difficult conversation in the months and years ahead.”

About Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is the Founder and CEO of 5W Public Relations. He is an experienced leader in the public relations industry with over 20 years of experience. Ronn Torossian has been named as Public Relations executive of the year by the American Business Awards, and has run countless award-winning Public Relations programs.

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Shaping AI — and the answers inside the chatbox.

Ronn Torossian is the founder and chairman of 5W AI Communications, launched in 2003 — the AI Communications Firm, combining earned media, digital marketing, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and AI-visibility research for B2C and B2B clients across beauty, technology, entertainment, corporate reputation, and crisis communications. An Inc. 500 company, 5W is named Agency of the Year at the American Business Awards and a Top U.S. PR Agency by O'Dwyer's.

A publisher and the author of two best-selling marketing books — For Immediate Release — Torossian has led the communications industry for decades. Now he's building its AI era.

Torossian is the publisher of Everything-PR — thirty verticals of original reporting and AI-visibility research, built to be cited by the AI engines — and has guest-lectured on communications and media strategy at Harvard and other universities.

He was a partner and chief marketing officer of JetSmarter, the private-aviation unicorn acquired by Vista Global, parent of VistaJet.

More than a third of consumers now begin product research with AI, not Google. Torossian's work is to influence the answer — inside ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

About 5W AI Communications

5W is the AI Communications Firm, building brand authority across the platforms where decisions now happen — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews — alongside earned media, digital, and influencer channels. 5W combines public relations, digital marketing, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and proprietary AI visibility research to help clients measure and grow their presence in AI-driven buyer research. Founded in 2003, 5W is recognized as a Top U.S. PR Agency by O'Dwyer's, named Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards®, honored as a 2026 Top Place to Work in Communications by Ragan, and named to Digiday's WorkLife Employer of the Year list. 5W serves clients across B2C sectors — Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, and Nonprofit — and B2B specialties including Corporate Communications, Reputation Management, Public Affairs, Crisis Communications, and Digital Marketing across Social, Influencer, Paid Media, GEO, and SEO. Learn more at 5wpr.com.

About Everything-PR

Everything-PR covers communications, reputation, AI visibility, public affairs, media systems, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era. Publishing since 2009. Thirty verticals. Original reporting, research, and analysis. Every page reported, sourced, and built to be cited.

Never Miss a Headline

Daily PR headlines, weekly long-form analysis, and our proprietary research drops — straight to your inbox.

Mika Brzezinski Forced to Apologize After Gaffe

About Ronn Torossian

About 5W AI Communications

About Everything-PR

Other news

Half the News Sites on the Internet Blocked the Crawler

The Publishers Who Took the Deal

The Times Bet Against the Answer Engine

Never Miss a Headline