Dark days at MSNBC are far from over as more changes are set to rock the network’s work force, despite seeing double-digit rating growth across the board.
President Rebecca Kutler introduced a series of programming changes on Monday amid an internal shake up, including canceling Joy Reid’s evening show.
Reid’s sudden fate has sparked fear amongst key staff who are awaiting to learn the future of their own careers as reallocations continue.
Roughly 125 of production roles are still to be impacted across the network’s production teams, Puck News reported. It is understood there will be new opportunities to reapply for at least 110 of those affected.
The revised positions will not be shared externally until all of the staffers already employed with the network have had the chance to reapply.
The adjustment is expected to be made in April, just after liberal icon Rachel Maddow finishes out her five nights a week broadcasting primetime coverage of Donald Trump‘s first 100 days in office, Fox News reported.
Maddow was among many MSNBC staffers left angry over the network’s changes as she declared herself ‘bereft’ over Kutler’s decision to cancel Reid’s show, adding that it was ‘a bad mistake’ and ‘indefensible.’
Yet colleagues were quick to catch the irony of the situation, especially after it was announced that Maddow would be ditching her 100-day-run as a five-nights-a-week anchor to return to her lavish Mondays-only position with a pay of $25 million.
President Rebecca Kutler introduced a series of programming changes on Monday amid an internal shake up, including canceling Joy Reid’s evening show
The team is expected to be slashed in April, just after liberal icon Rachel Maddow finishes out her five nights a week broadcasting primetime coverage of Donald Trump ‘s first 100 days in office
Despite the unsettled times, MSNBC saw a surge of viewer engagement across the five weeks of the new administration.
According to NBC Universal News Group, the network saw a 22 percent increase in average weekly minutes spent and a 15 percent increase in average weekly reach compared to post-election averages.
Shortly before Trump returned back to the White House, former MSNBC president Rashida Jones announced her departure from the cable-news network.
Under Jones’ leadership, MSNBC oftentimes lingered above CNN as the second-rated network as Fox News consistently took the reigns as number one.
However, both MSNBC and CNN were met with their lowest-rated Januarys in history in the highly sought 25-54 demographic amid a looming landscape of languishing cable and legacy news stations.
Meanwhile, Fox News enjoyed its best January ever as they continued a 23-year stretch as cable news’s top dog.
This all occurred during a hectic news cycle that featured coverage of Justin Trudeau’s resignation, Trump’s inauguration and the controversy surrounding the president’s parade of appointments and pardons.
Weeks into former CNN executive Kutler taking the reigns as the new president earlier this month, she sought to stabilize the network with a series of cuts and internal tweaking.
Maddow was among many MSNBC staffers left angry over the network’s changes as she declared herself ‘bereft’ over Kutler’s decision to cancel Reid’s show, adding that it was ‘a bad mistake’ and ‘indefensible’
During a meeting regarding Reid’s show, Kutler insisted Donald Trump was not a factor in the decision and the network’s changes were made based on ‘data analysis and programming strategy’ that she believes will ‘best position MNSBC for the year ahead’
Still, MSNBC lagged to just 45,000 viewers during the day and just 63,000 during the peak hours of night – with the Maddow experiment seemingly failing.
The decision to cut Reid’s show leaked early Sunday and confirmed by her bosses just hours later, prompting a meeting regarding the impending bloodbath.
Reid is among MSNBC’s highest profile faces and is known for her hard left takes on social and political issues.
During the meeting, some of the angry employees demanded answers about why the show was cancelled and what it meant for their futures at MSNBC.
Kutler insisted Trump was not a factor in the decision and the network’s changes were made based on ‘data analysis and programming strategy’ that she believes will ‘best position MNSBC for the year ahead.’
She said the show’s cancellation was part of a ‘broader slate of programming changes that will be laid out’ on Monday.
Maddow appeared on the last episode of The Reid Out on Tuesday where she declared herself ‘bereft’ that Reid had been fired, adding that Kutler’s decision was ‘a bad mistake’ and ‘indefensible.’
Weeks into former CNN executive Kutler taking the reigns as the new president earlier this month, she sought to stabilize the network’s ratings as MSNBC had lagged to just 45,000 viewers during the day and just 63,000 during the peak hours of night
Following Reid’s shocking news, the network axed three more of its stars’ shows – Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart and Ayman Mohyeldin
‘I do not want to lose her as a colleague here at MSNBC, and personally, I think it is a bad mistake to let her walk out the door. It is not my call and I understand that. But that’s what I think,’ Maddow said.
When Maddow – who was rumored to have taken a pay cut when signing her new contract at MSNBC – took to the airwaves later on, it was no-holds barred as she slammed the network for firing Reid and a slew of other ‘non-white’ anchors.
She added: ‘I will tell you. It is also unnerving to see that on a network where we’ve got two – count them – two nonwhite hosts in primetime, both of our nonwhite hosts in primetime are losing their shows, as is Katie Phang on the weekend. And that feels worse than bad, no matter who replaces them. That feels indefensible. And I do not defend it.’
Even after the public blast, Maddow had even more unkind words for the network about how Kutler was treating Reid’s staffers.
‘Dozens of producers and staffers, including some who are among the most experienced and most talented and most specialist producers in the building are facing being laid off,’ she said. ‘They’re being invited to reapply for new jobs.’
Maddow called that unprecedented in the history of the network and added that ‘it’s not the right way to treat people.’
‘And it’s inefficient and it’s unnecessary, and it kind of drops the bottom out of whether or not people feel like this is a good place to work.’
Ratings from Reid’s last Tuesday show were up by double-digit percentages compared to her February average – both for total viewership and demo, Puck News reported.
Despite Maddow’s public criticism of Kutler and the network, there will be nearly a one-to-one ratio of jobs lost to that of new ones with each staffer being invited to apply for new positions that have since been posted internally
Ratings from Reid’s last Tuesday show were up by double-digit percentages compared to her February average – both for total viewership and demo
Following Reid’s shocking news, the network axed three more of its stars’ shows.
Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart and Ayman Mohyeldin have also been given the boot from their current timeslots in this week’s shake-up – all of whom are anchors of color.
Mohyeldin, who hosts Ayman Mohyeldin Reports, will broadcast its final episode on April 20 at 7pm, a spokesperson confirmed.
It remains unclear when Capehart and Phang – who each also have their own weekend shows – will host their final installments.
Mohyeldin and Capehart are said to be getting new shows in different timeslots – though the details surrounding them have yet to be announced.
Monday’s changes also included Jen Psaki replacing the beloved, yet ratings-challenged Alex Wagner in the 9pm hour on the four remaining weeknights, Puck News reported.
Five weeks into the new administration, MSNBC saw a surge of viewer engagement across the board – a 22 percent increase in average weekly minutes spent and a 15 percent increase in average weekly reach compared to post-election averages
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Morning Joe, hosted by former Congressman Joe Scarborough and his wife Mika Brzezinski are safe from the network’s overhaul, despite losing nearly half of its audience since President Donald Trump won the election
The three nonwhite co-hosts of The Weekend – Symone Sanders, Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele – will be moved up to Reid’s timeslot at 7pm on weeknights, a decision also torched by Maddow.
However, two of MSNBC’s biggest stars are safe from the network’s major programming overhaul – despite their own plummeting ratings.
Morning Joe, hosted by former Congressman Joe Scarborough and his wife Mika Brzezinski, lost nearly half of its audience since President Donald Trump won the election.
Yet amid fears of who may be next after Joy Reid’s dismissal, DailyMail.com learned Scarborough and Brzezinski are two fixtures that won’t need to worry.
A spokesperson for the network went on to defend Morning Joe’s ratings, telling The New York Post that the morning show has seen its total viewership increase from Inauguration Day by 17 percent – from 587,000 in the period from November 5 to January 20, to 684,000 since Trump took office.
Just last month, CNN let go of 200 staffers – a move that came after the network had let go 100 of their employees in 2024 as part of a shift to a more digital model
The Washington Post announced earlier this month that they have laid off around 100 employees across its business division, amounting to roughly four percent of the publication’s staff
Despite the chaos at the network, impacted jobs are not unique to MSNBC in this climate as several other networks have undergone extensive layoffs in recent months.
Just last month, CNN let go of 200 staffers – a move that came after the network had let go 100 of their employees in 2024 as part of a shift to a more digital model.
In January of last year, The Los Angeles times announced its plan to lay off around 115 journalists – axing its newsroom by more than 20 percent.
The Washington Post announced earlier this month that they have laid off around 100 employees across its business division, amounting to roughly four percent of the publication’s staff, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, as MSNBC works to consolidate broadcast locations to New York and Washington, DC, the network is also planning to end operations in Miami – a move that will impact shows like José Díaz-Balart Reports and The Katie Phang Show.
