Jupiter, Florida - The hosts of the MSNBC show Morning Joe have been facing backlash for their recent change of heart regarding president-elect Donald Trump, but it turns out the choice may have been driven by real fear for their jobs.

In a recent episode of the show, hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski revealed that they had a meeting with Trump last week to bury the hatchet.

This comes after they spent years heavily criticizing him and warning of his aspirations to be dictatorial as president.

While they told viewers the decision was driven by suggestions from Democratic politicians to try "something different," there may have been much more to it.

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Sources close to the show told CNN that they were also "credibly concerned that they could face governmental and legal harassment from the incoming Trump administration."

Throughout his campaign, Trump has threatened to enact "retribution" on his enemies in politics and the media. Trump has recently been stacking his presidential cabinet with his most ardent supporters, which could help his vows become reality.

But fans of Morning Joe have been furious, as many argue they are beginning the process of "normalizing" Trump and his behavior.

The backlash has grown so immense that the show has turned off comments on all of their social media posts,

On Tuesday's episode, Scarborough argued that reactions on social media are not indicative of "the real world," as fans have been calling in to support them.