MSNBC senior political analyst Alex Wagner will replace Rachel Maddow as the weekday host of her late night program, the network announced Monday.
Wagner’s new program is set to premiere Aug. 16 at 9 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays, MSNBC announced in a statement obtained by the Daily Caller. Maddow signed a multi-year deal with NBCUniversal to solely host her show on Mondays in order to dedicate time working on a film collaboration adapting her book and podcast “Bag Man” with Ben Stiller and Lorn Michaels.
“I’m honored to be anchoring a key hour of television in such a critical time for American democracy,” Wagner said, according to the statement. “In many ways, the stakes have never been higher, and there’s no better place to explore this moment than MSNBC. I’m thrilled to be coming home.”
I am absolutely thrilled and honored and generally upside down with excitement to come back home to @MSNBC to host the 9PM hour, beginning August 16th. LET’S DO THIS https://t.co/bgJAcmuDtt
— alexwagner (@alexwagner) June 27, 2022
MSNBC President Rashida Jones said Wagner’s will provide a”unique perspective” in political coverage to the network that will help with analyzing the current political atmosphere, according to the statement. The upcoming prime-time host has covered a wide variety of topics ranging from immigration, foreign affairs, race relations and American nationalism.
“Alex Wagner in the 9pm hour was a clear choice. Her unique perspective—built on more than two decades in journalism—and tenacious reporting in the U.S. and abroad will help our audiences contextualize what matters,” Jones said. “I am looking forward to watching Alex thrive in MSNBC’s primetime lineup.” (RELATED: REPORT: Maddow Taking ‘Hiatus’ From MSNBC)
She also noted that the network is exploring options for Wagner to appear on streaming services of MSNBC’s parent company, NBCUniversal, The New York Times reported. A handful of the network’s shows, including “Morning Joe” and “All In With Chris Hayes,” stream on Peacock and NBC News Now after airing on cable television.
“It’s no secret that the audiences on cable are changing, and changing quickly,” Ms. Jones said, according to the Times. “It’s still a big part of the audience that consumes MSNBC, but we’ve really been focused on, how do we take that deep connection and bring it to new places?”
Jones said she did not communicate with Maddow on her replacement and that Wagner had been on a short list for months, The New York Times reported.
Wagner previously hosted the show, “NOW with Alex Wagner,” on the network between 2011 and 2015, MSNBC’s statement said. The show was cancelled as executives pivoted towards increasing straight news in their daytime programming. She returned in February, 2022, as a senior political analyst and guest anchor.
She previously worked as a special correspondent for CBS News and co-hosted CBS This Morning: Saturday, according to the statement. She also served as a Senior Editor at the Atlantic and co-host of Showtime’s weekly political docuseries, “The Circus.”