MSNBC said on Monday that Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary who has become one of the most prominent hosts at the network, would anchor a nightly weekday show in prime time.
Ms. Psaki, 46, will host a show at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, replacing Alex Wagner, a longtime political journalist who has anchored that hour since 2022, according to a memo to staff from Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president. Ms. Wagner will remain at MSNBC as an on-air correspondent.
Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s biggest star, has been anchoring the 9 p.m. hour on weeknights for the early days of President Trump’s administration but will return to hosting one night a week at the end of April.
MSNBC has been planning to overhaul its schedule for weeks. The network is canceling the 7 p.m. program anchored by Joy Reid, who has anchored that time-slot since 2020. On Monday the network said Ms. Reid would be replaced at 7 p.m. by three hosts: Symone Sanders Townsend, a political commentator and former Democratic strategist; Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Alicia Menendez, an anchor on the network.
Ms. Reid is leaving the network, Ms. Kutler said in her memo. The three replacing her currently co-host “The Weekend,” which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Ms. Reid said in a statement that she was proud of the work she and her team accomplished during her time at MSNBC, including coverage of Kamala Harris’s campaign for president, interviewing Brittney Griner on her ordeal in Russia and covering the police killings of Black Americans.
“We supported and defended real history, the 1619 Project, diversity, equity and inclusion, and access to books for our children and students,” Ms. Reid said in her statement. “And we did it all with a smile and a sense of humor.”
The network’s leaders made the change primarily because they thought the viewership figures for Ms. Reid’s show were underwhelming, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. So far this year, Ms. Reid’s program has lagged far behind “The Ingraham Angle,” the rival show on Fox News, in total viewership at that hour. But during that period, it has outperformed a rival program on CNN, “Erin Burnett OutFront,” in total viewership. Both shows on Fox and CNN have outperformed Ms. Reid’s program in the key advertising demographic, according to Nielsen data.
MSNBC employees who produced Ms. Reid’s and Ms. Wagner’s shows are in limbo. They were informed that they would be laid off and were invited to apply for new positions at MSNBC, including jobs producing the shows helmed by Ms. Psaki and the trio of anchors moving from the weekend. The new jobs are expected to be posted internally soon and they won’t be shared publicly until MSNBC employees have the opportunity to reapply.
Ms. Psaki joined MSNBC in 2023 after spending a career in Democratic politics, most recently as press secretary for President Joseph R. Biden Jr. She currently hosts a show, “Inside With Jen Psaki,” on Sundays at noon and Mondays at 8 p.m. The name of the show will probably change, according to a person with knowledge of internal discussions about the program, though nothing has been decided yet.
MSNBC announced changes elsewhere on its lineup. The “Weekend” co-hosts will be replaced by three new anchors who include Jonathan Capehart, a host on MSNBC and columnist. The network also plans to introduce an evening edition of that program hosted by a different group of anchors including the MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin. Ali Velshi, who anchors a namesake program on weekends, will expand his show to three hours.
