The walls seem to be closing in on MSNBC, as the network’s president, Rashida Jones, has announced her resignation amid plunging ratings and a shifting media landscape following Donald Trump’s election victory in November. Jones, who held the top position at the hard-Left network for nearly four years, departs at a time when MSNBC is struggling to maintain relevance and viewership in the wake of a political sea change.
Jones, who rose through the ranks at NBCUniversal over 11 years, was a central figure in shaping MSNBC during the Biden presidency. Her tenure saw a series of bold programming decisions, including the hiring of former White House press secretary Jen Psaki as a show host, extending the popular “Morning Joe” to four hours, and replacing Rachel Maddow’s nightly show with Alex Wagner for four days a week—a move that has drawn mixed reviews. In her memo to staffers, Jones reflected on her time at MSNBC, writing, “After four incredible years at the helm of MSNBC and 11 years at NBCU, I have made the decision to pursue new opportunities.”
But the timing of Jones’s departure raises questions about her legacy, as the network faces a ratings collapse in the wake of Trump’s election victory. MSNBC’s primetime viewership has fallen dramatically.
According to Deadline, the network averaged 660,000 primetime viewers in December, down nearly 50% from the 1.3 million it drew a year earlier during the heated primary season. Even Rachel Maddow, once the crown jewel of MSNBC’s lineup, hit her lowest ratings in nearly a decade, netting just 86,000 viewers in the key 25-54 demographic two weeks after Trump’s win.
It’s no secret that MSNBC has built its brand—and its audience—on catering to a Left-leaning, anti-Trump base. But Trump’s return to the political stage has apparently done little to energize that audience. The ratings exodus suggests that viewers may be growing weary of the network’s partisan programming or that MSNBC is losing ground to more nimble competitors in the progressive media space.
Jones’s resignation coincides with a major restructuring at Comcast, MSNBC’s parent company. The network is set to be absorbed into a new entity under the oversight of NBCUniversal Media Group chairman Mark Lazarus. In a statement, Lazarus praised Jones for her leadership during what he called “a years-long, unrelenting and unprecedented news cycle.” But his corporate speak cannot hide the fact that MSNBC’s position in the cable news world is now precarious. With CNN also faltering and Fox News dominating, the future of MSNBC may hinge on its ability to reinvent itself.
For now, Jones will be replaced on an interim basis by Rebecca Kutler, a senior vice president of content strategy who joined MSNBC from CNN in 2022. Kutler’s track record includes helping to launch CNN+, the ill-fated streaming service that Warner Bros. Discovery shut down just weeks after its debut.
While Kutler faces a monumental challenge in reversing MSNBC’s downward trajectory, her appointment suggests a continued focus on digital and nonlinear strategies to capture younger audiences.
In an effort to stabilize its sagging ratings, MSNBC is calling Rachel Maddow back into action. The network has announced that Maddow, who scaled back her show to once a week last year, will return to her five-nights-a-week schedule until April 30. Whether Maddow’s expanded presence can provide a temporary ratings boost or represents a Band-Aid on a larger problem remains to be seen.