Did 'Morning Joe's' co-hosts just admit they're dating? 'We have a crackling off-air chemistry'

It's not your imagination — there has been an uptick in flirting on Morning Joe lately. But are the co-hosts of MSNBC's politically charged morning show — liberal Mika Brzezinski, 49, and conservative Joe Scarborough, 54 — romantically involved? They appear to take a big step toward coming out as a couple in a new THR interview.

"We have a crackling on-air chemistry, and a crackling off-air chemistry, too," says Scarborough, who divorced his second wife in 2013 (Brzezinski split from her husband of 23 years in June).

When asked to elaborate, Brzezinski pauses and says, "That's good." Scarborough adds, "I think that pretty much says it, doesn't it?"

See photos of Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski together:

Rumors of the relationship circulated during the 2016 campaign, but Brzezinski shot them down ("I really don't want to talk about my personal life," she told GQ). Now, however, the New York-based co-hosts are even discussing how their pets are co-mingling. For Scarborough, that's a dog named Scout and a Maine Coon cat named Oliver Meatball Scarborough. Brzezinski's brood includes two dogs (Hobson and Cajun), two rabbits (Melania and Donald), two cats (Emma and Elle) and three chickens (Gina, Donna and Nugget).

"They get along great," Scarborough says. "They will always sort of spar with each other and...;" Brzezinski cuts him off: "And he lets the cat get on the kitchen counter, which is just gross."

"I do not," Scarborough replies.

"We all understand that Meatball runs the house," he adds. "Even the dogs."

A version of this story first appeared in the April 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.