MSNBC’s star host Rachel Maddow(The Rachel Maddow Show, Batwoman) is set to return to her 9 p.m. show five nights a week in a temporary move tied to the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second term. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Maddow will temporarily resume hosting The Rachel Maddow Show nightly until the end of April 2025, starting on Inauguration Day, January 20.
Since April 2022, Maddow has limited her appearances to Mondays, with Alex Wagner (Now with Alex Wagner, The Circus) taking over the 9 p.m. slot from Tuesday to Friday. However, with significant events surrounding Trump’s second term, Maddow will anchor her show again every night during this pivotal period. Wagner, meanwhile, will report across the country for Trumpland: The First 100 Days before MSNBC returns to its normal schedule in May.
Maddow has expanded her portfolio since shifting to a weekly format in 2022. In a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she shared how the change has impacted her work life. “With the five-days-a-week show, I became a pretty good compartmentalizer. Now I have an Un compartmentalizable work life, and I haven’t figured it out yet. I work seven days a week instead of five. But it doesn’t feel like as much of a grind”.
Anchors for MSNBC include Joy Reid (The Reid Out, AM Joy), Nicolle Wallace (Deadline: White House, The View), Chris Hayes (All In with Chris Hayes, Why Is This Happening?), Lawrence O’Donnell (His Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, The West Wing), Stephanie Ruhle (The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle, Bloomberg GO) and Ari Melber (The Beat with Ari Melber, Chief Legal Correspondent for MSNBC).
According to MSNBC president Rashida Jones, this next chapter in American politics demands in-depth reporting from across the country, with Wagner leading the charge.
“No one is better equipped to bring those stories from the field to MSNBC viewers than our intrepid Alex Wagner,” Jones said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Wagner’s new role coincides with Maddow’s return to her regular hosting schedule. To cover Donald Trump’s inauguration, MSNBC will also bring together its top afternoon and evening hosts, including Wallace, Reid and Melber.
As MSNBC adjusts to these changes, the network is banking on its established talent to deliver sharp, timely political coverage. Maddow’s shift to a once-weekly format allowed for more flexibility, but with Trumpland and other major political moments, the network has relied on Wagner to keep the momentum going.
MSNBC’s strategic programming move positions it to remain a leading voice in political reporting during this crucial time. Wagner’s fieldwork and Maddow’s return to nightly coverage will keep the network’s audience engaged as they navigate the first months of a new administration. As the network adapts to these changes, The Hollywood Reporter notes, MSNBC’s loyal viewers can expect comprehensive, insightful coverage of the political landscape.
The shifts in MSNBC’s programming, alongside Wagner leading the field reporting and Maddow returning to her nightly show, demonstrate the network’s commitment to providing thorough political coverage.