MSNBC Delivers Harsh News to Rachel Maddow After On-Air Criticism
Rachel Maddow, one of MSNBC’s most prominent figures, received disappointing news from network executives following her public disapproval of recent programming changes—including the cancellation of Joy Reid’s show and the reduction in role for Alex Wagner.
Maddow’s remarks came after MSNBC announced a significant overhaul of its lineup, axing shows hosted by Reid and Wagner as part of a broader reshuffle. Weekend programming with hosts Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart, and Ayman Mohyeldin was also cut.
“She is leaving the network altogether and that is very, very, very hard to take. I am 51 years old,” Maddow shared during a February segment. “I have been gainfully employed since I was 12 and I have had so many different kinds of jobs, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.
“But in all of 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,” she added.
“I love everything about her. I have learned so much from her. I have so much more to learn from her,” Maddow continued. “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. It is not my call and I understand that. But that’s what I think.”
Maddow also criticized what she saw as a troubling pattern in the programming shake-up: “I will tell you. It is also unnerving to see that on a network where we’ve got two — count them — two non-white hosts in primetime, both of our non-white hosts in primetime are losing their shows, as is Katie Phang on the weekend,” she said. “And that feels worse than bad, no matter who replaces them. That feels indefensible, and I do not defend it.”
Soon after her remarks, Maddow was informed that changes were also coming to her own show’s staffing.
According to The Guardian, “Maddow, the biggest star and highest-rated anchor at MSNBC, will get to keep her executive producer, Cory Gnazzo, and several other senior producers.” However, most of her team is being let go or reassigned.
“The rest of Maddow’s team – along with producers who worked on the other cancelled shows, hosted by Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart, Ayman Mohyeldin and José Díaz-Balart – have been given the option to claim severance or reapply for new roles at the network,” The Guardian reported, citing sources familiar with the decision.
MSNBC has faced a difficult year overall when it comes to ratings.
New Nielsen data from the first quarter of 2025 showed a surprising downturn for “Morning Joe,” the network’s flagship morning program hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. For the first time in years, the show trailed CNN in a vital ratings category.
CNN’s “News Central,” anchored by Sara Sidner, Kate Bolduan, and John Berman, averaged 73,000 viewers in the 25-54 demographic, outpacing “Morning Joe,” which had 64,000 during the same period. MSNBC also trailed CNN in total viewership and key demos, placing third among cable news networks in Q1.
In primetime, MSNBC brought in an average of 1.024 million viewers and 96,000 in the demo. Over the full day, those numbers dropped to 593,000 total viewers and 57,000 in the key demographic.
Compared to Q1 2024, MSNBC experienced a decline of 18% in total primetime viewers and 21% in the demo, with overall day ratings falling by 27% in viewers and 30% in the demo.
CNN, meanwhile, fared better. Its primetime audience averaged 558,000 viewers and 121,000 in the demo, with daytime numbers at 428,000 and 79,000 respectively. Its year-over-year losses were smaller, with a 6% drop in total primetime viewers and just 1% in the demo.
Fox News remained the leader in cable news ratings. According to TV Insider, the network averaged 3.012 million primetime viewers and 380,000 in the 25-54 demo in Q1 2025. Throughout the day, Fox News drew 1.919 million total viewers and 247,000 in the demo.
These figures marked significant growth for Fox, which saw a 46% increase in overall primetime viewership and a 63% jump in the demo compared to Q1 2024. Daytime viewership rose by 48%, with a 58% gain in the demo.