There's Irony To Note In the Rachel Maddow MSNBC Rant

Rachel Maddow's recent comments about MSNBC, made during her Monday night monologue on February 24, 2025, have sparked significant fallout both within the network and among its viewers, as well as generating reactions across political and media circles. Maddow, the network's highest-rated anchor, used her platform to criticize MSNBC's leadership for a major programming overhaul that involved canceling several shows, including that of her colleague Joy Reid, and letting go of numerous staff members. Her remarks centered on the treatment of employees and the decision to end programs hosted by non-white anchors, which she described as "unnerving" and a "bad mistake."

The context for her comments stems from MSNBC's restructuring efforts, announced in late February 2025, which saw the cancellation of prime-time and weekend shows hosted by Joy Reid, Alex Wagner, Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart, Ayman Mohyeldin, and José Díaz-Balart. As part of this shake-up, most of the staff producing these shows, including much of Maddow’s own team (except for her executive producer and a few senior producers), were informed they were being let go, with the option to reapply for new roles or take severance. This move was unprecedented in its scale at MSNBC, a network that historically reassigned staff rather than cutting them outright after cancellations. Maddow’s critique highlighted the inefficiency and poor morale resulting from this approach, stating, “It’s not the right way to treat people, and it’s inefficient and it’s unnecessary and it kind of drops the bottom out of whether or not people feel like this is a good place to work.”

Maddow also pointed out the racial implications of the cancellations, noting that both of MSNBC’s non-white prime-time hosts (Reid and Wagner, whose mother is Burmese) were losing their shows, alongside Phang’s weekend program. She called this pattern “indefensible” and expressed personal dismay at losing Reid as a colleague, emphasizing Reid’s value to the network. These comments were a rare public rebuke of her own employer, amplifying existing tensions at MSNBC, which has faced declining viewership since the 2024 election and is preparing for a corporate spinoff from Comcast into a new entity.

Media coverage reflected this divide. Outlets like The Guardian and Newsweek reported on Maddow’s criticism as a significant escalation in MSNBC’s ongoing turmoil, noting her specific defense of Reid and her broader critique of the network’s direction. Conservative-leaning sources, such as The New York Post, framed it as part of a “bloodbath” at MSNBC, emphasizing the chaos and staff cuts. Meanwhile, progressive voices expressed concern over the loss of diversity in programming, with Maddow’s comments fueling discussions about whether MSNBC’s leadership was misstepping at a critical time.

The broader context includes MSNBC’s strategic shifts under President Rashida Jones, who has experimented with new programming formats amid a post-election ratings slump—primetime viewership dropped 65% in the 25-54 demographic between the election and the end of 2024, per Nielsen data. Maddow’s return to five nights a week for Trump’s first 100 days (starting January 20, 2025) was intended to boost ratings, but the subsequent cuts to other shows and staff have overshadowed that effort. Her monologue has intensified scrutiny on these changes, raising questions about MSNBC’s identity as a progressive outlet and its ability to retain talent and audience trust.

The situation remains fluid today. There’s no public indication of direct retaliation against Maddow, whose star power and 9 p.m. slot make her a linchpin for the network. However, her comments have likely deepened internal rifts and fueled external speculation about MSNBC’s future, especially as it navigates the Comcast spinoff and a challenging media landscape. The fallout continues to unfold, with sentiment on X and in media reports suggesting a polarized reaction—admiration from her base, derision from her critics, and uncertainty within the industry.

The irony of her rant... Maddow seemed to miss an obvious irony of her critique: She gets paid $25 million a year to effectively work one day a week, an absurdly misaligned salary that allows her to comfortably shuttle between her Manhattan apartment and pre-Civil War farmhouse retreat in the Berkshires, but puts a financial burden on MSNBC to stringently manage the unit economics of every other hour in primetime. Put another way, her annual salary is roughly equivalent to the combined salary of about—go figure—125 production staffers, according to a story at Puck.