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MSNBC host Rachel Maddow returned from her nearly two-month hiatus to deliver some more bad news to her die-hard liberal viewers.
She’s going to be taking more time off and only hosting her show one day per week.
“Maddow will only host her MSNBC show on Monday nights going forward. It’s part of a new contract she signed with the network that will allow her time to work on other projects for MSNBC and NBC, including a film version of her award-winning podcast Bag Man, directed by Ben Stiller,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“In some ways, it’s the end of an era for MSNBC, where Maddow has hosted her popular show for nearly 14 years. It has grown into the most-watched program on the network, regularly drawing more than 2 million viewers, going toe-to-toe on most nights with Fox News host Sean Hannity (CNN remains a distant third). Not surprisingly, ratings dipped during Maddow’s hiatus earlier this year,” the report added.
The report added: “So far, MSNBC isn’t announcing a permanent host to replace Maddow at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. But they are renaming the show MSNBC Prime on those nights, another sign Maddow’s move is permanent.”
During a segment on her program “The Rachel Maddow Show” last month, the host announced that starting in May, she will only host her show on the network once a week while she continues to work on “other projects.”
“So, here’s the plan. I’m back. I’m gonna be here all this month, Monday through Thursday night,” Maddow said on her show. “And then, starting next month, starting in May, I’m gonna be here weekly. I’m gonna be here on Monday nights, again, to give myself just more time to work on some of the other stuff that I’ve got cooking for MSNBC and NBC.”
“And again, this might change. We will see how things go. But that is the plan as of now. So, now you know. And we will never speak of it again. Enough of that, let’s start the show,” Maddow added.
“I am also grateful almost beyond words for Ali Velshi, in particular, and for my other colleagues who filled in for me while I was away. … You should be so lucky to ever have a coworker as great as Ali Velshi,” Maddow said.
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Maddow announced back in February that she would be taking a hiatus.
“I’m going to take a little bit of time off from this show to go help with the movie. And also to work on a few other things that I have cooking with NBC right now, including a new podcast,” Maddow said.
“So just like late-night hosts sometimes go on hiatus in their shows, I’m going to go on hiatus for a little bit here from this show so I can work on some of those other projects,” she added. “In addition to the movie, the Bag-Man movie, and the podcast that I’m working on, the paperback of the Bag Man book is also coming out in just a few weeks, it’s coming out in April, there’s an adaptation of a different book that I want to try to make for TV as well that I’ve just started working on. There’s all this stuff I’ve been working on that I want to… work some more on.”
“But it is all for the good! I will be here through Thursday this week and then the – highest and I’m just going to be off for a few. Weeks off and doing the shot, not really going anywhere. I’ll be back for the state of the union and for other big news events in the meantime. I will also be back during the show again the frail even miss me,” Maddow continued.
“I moved back in April! And there may eventually be another hiatus again sometime in the future, but for now, we are just taking it one step at a time. Again, I will be here through Thursday this week. And of course, while I’m away this show will continue to be run by the absolute best producers of this entire business and the amazing staff of the show. Don’t worry, you will be in very, very good hands. Change is good, changes absolutely terrifying. But in this case, it is good,” she concluded.
Reports also surfaced that MSNBC is hiring current White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
