Various news anchors, including Rachel Maddow, criticize MSNBC for terminating Joy Reid's and Alex Wagner's broadcasts.
MSNBC's most-watched hour, hosted by Rachel Maddow, didn't shy away from criticizing the network's recent shakeups. She labeled these moves as "a bad mistake," "indefensible," and "not the right way to treat people." The impending layoffs have left producers and other staffers in limbo, causing "anxiety and discombobulation" that's skyrocketed during this stressful period.
Conservative commentators are gloating over the changes, aiming to undermine MSNBC's credibility. Yet, MSNBC assures viewers and staff that they are not caving to pressure from President Trump.
Some of the changes made sense on paper, like the Miami-based shows ending due to Comcast's spinoff. José Díaz-Balart will remain as the weekend "Nightly News" anchor, and Katie Phang will continue as a legal correspondent.
Meanwhile, MSNBC fans have been left feeling jilted, especially by the possible cancellation of Joy Reid's and Ali Velshi's shows. In the coming weeks, Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez will take up Reid's 7 p.m. time slot, and Jen Psaki will host the 9 p.m. hour Tuesday through Friday. The fate of staffers from the cancelled shows is uncertain, leading to a sense of drift among employees.
MSNBC proudly supports Reid, defending her against criticisms by Trump and right-wing media outlets. While MSNBC is shifting its focus to digital content and streaming services, they maintain that the changes are not political in nature.
In a jam-packed Sunday conference call, MSNBC's new president Rebecca Kutler reassured Reid's staff that the cancellations were not inspired by political motives. But right-wing personalities and major publishers like Breitbart, The Daily Wire, and Outkick have lashed out against the network and Reid, claiming that MSNBC deemed her too left-wing for its own good.
Trump himself took to Truth Social to label MSNBC as a "corrupt" and "illegal" arm of the Democratic Party, urging them to pay "vast sums of money for the damage they've done to our Country." On Monday, Fox comedian Greg Gutfeld used his monologue to ridicule Reid's departure.
These changes at MSNBC are part of a broader trend in media, driven by technology and audience preferences. While viewers may feel discouraged by the cancellations, MSNBC continues to evolve in the hope of capturing a wider audience and retaining its influential voice in the political discourse.
The media buzz surrounding MSNBC's changes has not spared Rachel Maddow's highly-rated hour, with some business analysts raising concerns about the potential impact of layoffs and staff changes on viewer loyalty. The layoffs and program cancellations have prompted guarantees from MSNBC that their shifts in focus are not politically motivated, aiming to assuage the concerns of staffers and viewers alike. Furthermore, the high-profile shakeups at MSNBC have seen critics, like Breitbart and The Daily Wire, seize the opportunity to critique the network, with some labeling it as too left-leaning for its own good.
