MSNBC announces layoff plans aligned to programming shifts

MSNBC has reportedly told most of the “The Rachel Maddow Show” staff — along with cutting staffers assigned to other shows it canceled earlier this week as part of a broader schedule overhaul — that they will be laid off, according to Guardian sources.

“TRMS” is currently airing five nights per week, but will switch back to Mondays-only in April 2025.

In order to keep staffers on board after host Rachel Maddow renegotiated her deal in 2022 to include only anchoring one night per week, MSNBC also assigned her staff to work on “Alex Wagner Tonight,” the program that had been taking over the 9 p.m. timeslot Tuesdays through Fridays.

That program, however, was canceled earlier in the week, and MSNBC appears to be using that as an opportunity to cut most of that team entirely. 

Also being cut are staffers assigned to “The Katie Phang Show,” Jonathan Capehart’s and Ayman Mohyeldin’s weekend shows, and José Díaz-Balart’s block of “MSNBC Reports.” That’s in addition to both the “Maddow” and “The ReidOut” layoffs. 

All of these staffers reportedly have been offered a severance package or can apply for other positions within MSNBC, including more than 100 new jobs expected to be posted soon.

It was not clear what the total number of layoffs will be or how that might compare to those 100 new positions. It was also not clear if the new roles will have similar functions or pay scales as the jobs lost.

Sources did tell The Guardian that Maddow’s executive producer, Cory Gnazzo, along with several other senior producers, will not be laid off.

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Before news of they layoffs leaked, MSNBC took criticism from Maddow herself, who also expressed concerns over the network’s decision to cut Joy Reid’s show. Reid, who anchored “The ReidOut,” was one of the network’s most prominent Black hosts. Maddow went as far to call Reid’s ouster a “mistake” and noting that, at least in her view, the network has previously attempted to handle cancellations more delicately, which ultimately fostered a more positive and efficient work environment. 

She also pointed out the network canceled the only two primetime shows hosted by non-white people while Katie Phang, who is of Asian decent, also lost her weekend show. 

Maddow did not mention that canceling “José Díaz-Balart Reports” will also remove a prominent Hispanic bi-lingual journalist from the network’s lineup.

Not all aspects of these staffing changes have been confirmed by MSNBC, which the Guardian reported is framing the decision as a “reallocation of producers to support new programs and priorities.”

There is also no evidence that the network targeted non-white hosts for cancellation. Networks often make programming decisions based on aspects such as raw ratings as well as factors such as how the schedule lineup aligns with other strategies. 

On a broader scale, the layoffs aren’t unexpected. MSNBC, along with most of Comcast’s other cable TV channels, are scheduled to be spun-off into a separate company later in 2025. 

Several recent moves appear to be tied to tidying operations up in preparation for this change, including an announcement that MSNBC would stop using Telemundo’s Miami facility for production (leading to the cancellation of Díaz-Balart’s and Phang’s shows) and plans to set up a standalone bureau in Washington, D.C., for the network. The latter move also will include hiring new staff, according to the announcement.