A FATHER’S SECRET REVEALED: Joe Scarborough Finds a Diary That Rewrites His Family’s Story — and the Final Words Will Stay With You Forever. .QN

Behind the confident, sharp-tongued Morning Joe host that millions wake up to each morning stands a story of quiet perseverance — one that shaped Joe Scarborough’s entire outlook on life, family, and faith. Long before the bright lights of MSNBC or the halls of Congress, there was George Scarborough, Joe’s late father — a man who faced devastating loss, held his family together through faith, and became the anchor of Joe’s moral compass.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1934, George grew up during an era defined by resilience. After earning a business degree from the University of Kentucky and marrying his college sweetheart, Mary Joanna Clark, he served briefly in the Army before beginning what seemed like a steady career as a manufacturing engineer for Lockheed. He worked on massive projects like the C-5A and C-130, proud to be part of something that helped define American aviation.

Then, in 1971, just before turning 40, everything changed. A supplier’s bankruptcy led to massive layoffs — and George was suddenly jobless. For two years, he searched relentlessly, driving across the South with his young family, hoping for a new start. Joe would later recall those days in heartbreaking detail in a 2011 Politico eulogy for his father:

“I remember the tears of my siblings at Christmas, the worried looks around the dinner table, the $40 unemployment check that bought a bag of groceries and a tank of gas.”

Yet even in despair, George kept his faith. Joe found his father’s diary after his death, written during that dark period — pages filled with job leads, rejection letters, and one final, hauntingly hopeful line:

“With the Lord’s help, I will do well.”

And he did. George rebuilt his life from nothing, eventually achieving success beyond what he once imagined. In 1978, he and Mary Jo moved the family to Pensacola, Florida, where they co-founded the Miss American Coed Pageant — a surprising career turn that blended his organizational mind with his wife’s creative vision. The venture flourished, and George found not just financial success but purpose — one centered on family, hard work, and gratitude.

Joe remembers his father as both a steady hand and a gentle heart — the kind of dad who cheered from the bleachers at every Little League game and shrugged off fender-benders with love instead of anger. “He was always there,” Joe said. “Even in the hardest times, he was calm. He’d just say, ‘It’s only money. It’s only a car.’”

Though George passed away in 2011, his lessons still echo through Joe’s words on Morning Joe. The compassion behind the critique, the faith beneath the frustration — all of it traces back to a man who once lost everything, yet never stopped believing he could rebuild.

As Joe once wrote, summing up the quiet power of his father’s life:

“My dad was there all the time. He worked, he prayed, and he loved without fail. He was my fiercest advocate — and my greatest example of grace.”