Mika Brzezinski is outraged by Miley Cyrus' performance at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards and she's not afraid to say so.
The MSNBC host got into a heated debate with Matt Lauer on Tuesday's "Today" over Cyrus's VMA controversial performance, calling the performance "disgusting and disturbing."
"Somebody should be fired!" Brzezinski said on the "Today's Professionals" segment.
Brzezinski previously ranted about Cyrus' performance on Monday's "Morning Joe." Her co-panelist, Star Jones, came in as the voice of reason, saying "didn't we expect this? MTV pushes the envelope every single year."
"There's pushing the envelope and there's porn, there's raunchy porn that's disgusting and disturbing and seeing... a 20 year old young woman literally in the process of her undoing and everyone clapping for it and being disturbed by it and talking about it and showing it, which I hope we don't," Brzezinski said. "Don't show it here on my segment, please."
"Today" host Lauer disagreed.
"I think the only thing that surprises me is that we're surprised," he said, adding that she is a "paid performer" who was part of the year's "most provocative awards show" and performed during a "provocative" song. That set Brzezinski off.
"Matt and Star! Oversexualized is one thing. Is it sexual to stick your face in the back of a life-sized teddy bear and stick your tongue out?" she said. "We're talking about raunch, we're not talking about sexualization."
Lauer argued back, but Brzezinski told him, "Matt, no, we should denounce it."
Cyrus' performance broke records for most tweets per minute and the 20-year-old singer's sale are increasing, U.S. News said.
Relevant Magazine questioned society's double standards, asking why the "almost universal negative reaction" to Cyrus' performance did not bring up conversations about her duet partner Robin Thicke.
"In our society (particularly in celebrity culture), women are repeatedly encouraged to be sexy, to draw attention," the article said. "When it comes to MTV and the VMAs, the envelope has to be pushed further each year in order to achieve the same overwhelming response of shock, awe, disgust or whatever else."
