MSNBC is reportedly planning to lay off most of the staff working for Rachel Maddow, their $25 million liberal star, following her sharp criticism of the network's new president, Rebecca Kutler, for axing Joy Reid's show.
On her program, Maddow called MSNBC's decision—which also involved several other 'non-white' anchors losing their slots—"a bad mistake" and "indefensible." She shared her dismay directly with Reid during her final broadcast, admitting she was "bereft" over the cancellation, and didn’t hold back her frustration about how Kutler was handling Reid’s team.
Now, it seems Maddow’s own team is facing a similar fate. According to The Guardian, "a majority" of both Maddow’s and Reid’s staffers are being let go, with the option to take severance or apply for new positions—though MSNBC has hinted at a roughly equal number of new roles available.
Maddow’s executive producer, Cory Gnazzo, and a few senior producers will stay on for the time being. When DailyMail.com reached out, an MSNBC spokesperson declined to comment. The redundancies on Maddow’s team stem from overlap, as many worked across both her Monday-only show and Alex Wagner’s, which fills the slot the rest of the week. Starting April 21—marking Donald Trump’s 100th day in office—Jen Psaki will take over the Tuesday-to-Friday slot.
Maddow, who briefly returned to a five-night schedule to cover the new administration, is MSNBC’s biggest name and reportedly accepted a pay cut with her latest contract. On Monday’s broadcast, she didn’t mince words, slamming the network for cutting Reid and other "non-white" anchors. "I don’t want to lose [Reid] as a colleague here at MSNBC," she said. "Personally, I think it’s a bad mistake to let her go. It’s not my decision, and I get that—but that’s my view."
Rachel Maddow just called MSNBC racist for firing Joy Reid. On MSNBC. Guys, that place is a total dumpster fire. Trump destroyed them all: pic.twitter.com/mgled22I8J
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 25, 2025
She went further, pointing out a troubling pattern: "On a network with just two nonwhite primetime hosts—count them, two—both are losing their shows, along with Katie Phang on weekends. That feels worse than bad, no matter who steps in. It’s indefensible, and I won’t defend it." Phang, Jonathan Capehart, and Ayman Mohyeldin have also been dropped from their current slots under Kutler’s leadership.
I knew Maddow was insufferably arrogant and condescending, but honestly this takes the cake. How ironic that she has now turned that annoying patronizing snark of hers against her own management.
ReplyDeleteWhat's it gonna take for MSNBC to come to its senses and fire her? I guess it wasn't enough that they paid her $25 million and got crap ratings and virtually no viewers for their trouble. Now she's openly defying and lecturing her employer live on the air. This woman somehow got it in her head that she's untouchable and somehow not governed by the realities of business and the marketplace. Both Maddow's days as a viable on-air talent and that entire network as a viable business model are unsustainable at this point. It'll be a great delight watching them implode.