Rachel Maddow to Step Down for Weeks-Long Hiatus From Show

Rachel Maddow is planning to take a hiatus from her popular MSNBC show for "several weeks" while she works on other projects related to her content deal with NBCUniversal, according to several media outlets.

The network star is expected to discuss her upcoming break from her show tonight during her 9 o'clock slot, reports The New York Times. Insider previously reported on the temporary break.

Maddow, 48, is expected to start the break next week, according to People.

Many expected the out host to take time off this year to pursue other projects, but many had assumed that would come in the spring.

The Times reports that many MSNBC hosts and producers are unsure if she will come back to her normal show or if her schedule will become more flexible.

The Rachel Maddow Show is MSNBC's number 1 in ratings. The weeknight program features a mix of news and opinion -- one much enjoyed by liberals.

During the upcoming hiatus, the show will have fill-in anchors, according to the Times. However, she will still be appearing for special coverage, including for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address, scheduled for March 1.

In August, the host renewed her contract with NBCUniversal. The new contract reportedly included a multi-year deal that would allow Maddow to develop additional projects for the company.

In addition to her MSNBC program, Maddow wrote or co-wrote three nonfiction books since 2012, including last year's Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House, about former Vice President Spiro Agnew.

The former Rhodes Scholar got her start in radio before transitioning to television. Her show was launched in 2008. Her coverage of Donald Trump's presidential administration helped MSNBC regularly beat CNN and, occasionally, Fox News in ratings. While news networks' ratings have slumped post-Trump, the out anchor continues to prop up her network.