MSNBC Fires More Top Liberal Anti-Trump Hosts

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MSNBC has confirmed that host Jen Psaki will be moving to a new primetime slot as part of a significant network overhaul that also sees the departure of outspoken Trump critic Joy Reid. Psaki, the former press secretary for President Joe Biden, will take over the 9 p.m. EDT time slot Tuesday through Friday from current host Alex Wagner starting in late April. This move marks a major shift as Psaki, known for her bias toward the left, aims to reshape the network’s evening programming.

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This network shakeup, led by new president Rebecca Kutler, also involves the cancellation of weekend shows hosted by Ayman Mohyeldin, Jonathan Capehart, Katie Phang, and Jose Diaz-Balart, according to the New York Post.

Kutler’s decision to overhaul the anchor lineup comes just days after the shocking announcement that Joy Reid, a vocal critic of President Trump and his supporters, will be leaving the network. Reid’s show, The ReidOut, will be replaced by a new weekend program hosted by Michael Steele, Symone Sanders-Townsend, and Alicia Menendez.

Reid, in a call to the “Win With Black Women” podcast, expressed a range of emotions about her departure, mentioning feelings of anger, rage, disappointment, and guilt over the belief that she had let her team lose their jobs. This sentiment reflected the uncertainty surrounding MSNBC’s future.

Psaki will replace Rachel Maddow, who has been the network’s highest-paid host, taking over Maddow’s coveted time slot once Maddow returns to only airing one show a week. This comes after Maddow was required by the network to host five days a week during Trump’s first term, a period that saw MSNBC’s ratings spike under her relentless coverage of the Trump administration.

Alex Wagner will remain at MSNBC as a senior political analyst, but the shakeup also includes the establishment of a new Washington bureau and expansion of the network’s domestic and international correspondent teams. This restructuring comes as MSNBC separates from its sister network, NBC News, following its planned spin-off by parent company Comcast.

Capehart and Mohyeldin, who had weekend shows, will transition to new roles. Capehart will now anchor the morning edition of The Weekend, while Mohyeldin will lead the evening edition. Meanwhile, Katie Phang and Jose Diaz-Balart, whose shows were based in South Florida, have been informed their programs will end as the network downsizes its operations in the region. Phang will remain with MSNBC as a legal correspondent, while Diaz-Balart, who also works for Telemundo, will continue anchoring MSNBC’s weekend nightly news.

In addition to these changes, daytime anchors Katy Tur, Ana Cabrera, and Chris Jansing will see their shows moved or extended, and Ali Velshi’s weekend program will be expanded from two hours to three.

Rebecca Kutler, during an internal meeting with MSNBC leaders, acknowledged the challenges ahead for the network, noting that it would be both an exciting and challenging time. She emphasized the network’s struggle to adapt to the rapidly shifting media landscape.

MSNBC, much like its liberal competitor CNN, has seen a significant decline in viewership in recent years, with the ratings drop intensifying after President Donald Trump’s victory. Meanwhile, right-wing networks like Fox News have only strengthened their hold on cable news, expanding their viewership even after several prominent hosts left to join the Trump administration.

Kutler continued by stressing the need for honesty about the challenges ahead, pointing out that their jobs are difficult on a normal day, but these are not normal times. In other network news, Lester Holt, the longtime anchor of NBC Nightly News, announced he will step down after a decade leading the network’s evening broadcast. Holt, 65, will remain with NBC, transitioning to a full-time role at Dateline, where he has served as principal anchor for nearly 15 years. Holt, reportedly earning around $10 million per year, will continue to anchor NBC Nightly News until the start of summer.