Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s most influential and reportedly highest-paid anchor, took the extraordinary step of calling out her own network Monday night, criticizing the latest programming shakeup that has resulted in the cancellation of shows hosted by MSNBC’s only nonwhite prime-time anchors.
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During The Rachel Maddow Show, the award-winning journalist and out lesbian Rhodes Scholar did not mince words, condemning the network’s decision to remove The ReidOut with Joy Reid and Alex Wagner Tonight from the lineup. Reid, the only Black woman in MSNBC’s prime-time programming, has been let go from the network entirely. Alex Wagner is of Asian descent. Wagner’s show, which had been paused, has been canceled. It was supposed to return following the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second presidency. Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki will take over the 9 p.m. slot Tuesday through Friday.
Related: Rachel Maddow returns to host nightly MSNBC show for Trump’s first 100 days
“At a network where we’ve got two — count ’em, two — nonwhite hosts in prime time, both of our nonwhite hosts in prime time are losing their shows, as is [Asian host] Katie Phang on the weekend,” Maddow said. “And that feels worse than bad, no matter who replaces them. That feels indefensible, and I do not defend it.”
Maddow’s words were a rare and public rebuke of MSNBC’s leadership.
MSNBC’s Trump 2.0 overhaul
The shakeup comes as MSNBC undergoes a significant leadership transition. Rebecca Kutler, the newly appointed MSNBC president, announced the lineup changes after details initially leaked. Kutler praised Reid’s contributions in a staff memo, but Maddow’s remarks suggest that the move has been met with internal resistance.
Reid’s final broadcast of The ReidOut aired Monday night after nearly four years on MSNBC. Maddow, who appeared as a guest for an emotional sendoff, praised Reid as a journalist and a friend.
“I have had so many different kinds of jobs, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but in all the jobs I have had in all of the years I have been alive, there is no colleague for whom I have had more affection and more respect than Joy Reid,” Maddow said on her show. “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.”
Reid has not officially announced her next steps. In April, former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, Symone Sanders Townsend, and Alicia Menendez, who currently host The Weekend on Saturday and Sunday mornings, will enter Reid’s spot with a new show, the network announced.
Behind-the-scenes layoffs raise further concerns
Maddow’s concerns extend far beyond on-air talent. She revealed that MSNBC’s restructuring includes behind-the-scenes layoffs affecting some of the network’s most experienced employees.
“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. They’re being invited to reapply for new jobs,” Maddow said. “That has never happened at this scale in this way before when it comes to programming changes, presumably because it’s not the right way to treat people, and it’s inefficient, and it’s unnecessary.”
MSNBC insiders describe the situation as a “bloodbath,” according to The Daily Beast, with many staffers feeling blindsided by the abrupt decisions.
Maddow’s influence and power at MSNBC
As MSNBC’s most powerful voice, Maddow is uniquely positioned to hold her network accountable. She is the face of MSNBC’s prime-time programming and reportedly its highest-paid anchor, with a contract valued at $30 million a year. That influence and her deep connection to MSNBC’s audience make her public criticism particularly striking.
Related: Megyn Kelly is peeved that Rachel Maddow reportedly makes $30 million
Maddow, who has been with the network since 2008, was pivotal in transforming MSNBC into the go-to progressive news outlet. Her ability to drive national political conversations has made her indispensable to the network, which allowed her to scale back her hosting duties in 2022 while still maintaining a leading role. Maddow has since launched multiple successful podcasts and has written a best-selling book, Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism.
MSNBC executives have yet to respond to Maddow’s on-air critique. The Advocate contacted an MSNBC spokesperson for comment.
A critical moment for the press
Maddow warned that the upheaval at MSNBC comes at a particularly perilous moment for the press. “It is not news for me to tell you that the press and freedom of the press are under attack in a way that is really, it’s a big deal for our country,” she said. “It’s very visceral for us here.”
As MSNBC moves forward with its new programming strategy, Maddow’s pointed critique raises deeper questions about whose voices are prioritized in mainstream political coverage. “We welcome new voices to this place and some familiar voices to new hours. It’s going to be great, honestly. And we want to grow and succeed and reach more people than ever and be resilient and stay here forever,” she said. “I also believe, and I bet you believe, that the way to get there is by treating people well. … That we could do a lot better on. A lot better.”
