MSNBC Suffers Huge Blow As Rachel Maddow Will Take Hiatus To Work On Movie, Podcast
Ratings challenged liberal network MSNBC will be without Rachel Maddow and her ratings for a while as she will take a temporary break from her MSNBC show to work on movie and podcast projects.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Maddow plans to announce the news on her show this evening, and that a rotating group of hosts are expected to fill in for her. Maddow is expected to continue appearing on special event coverage, such as the State of the Union address, which is slated to be held March 1.”
The MSNBC host has a number of projects she is working on after she signed a new massive deal with MSNBC that reportedly gave her the freedom to make a move like this. She is working on a new podcast and a movie adaptation of one of her books.
Maddow also has the paperback edition of her book Bag Man about corrupt Vice President Spiro Agnew coming out soon. Sources claim she will return to hosting her nightly show when she returns from hiatus. MSNBC’s ratings will take a huge hit while she is gone.
Rachel Maddow Plans MSNBC Hiatus to Focus on Other Projects https://t.co/o6lA2q7JAw via @variety
— Andrea (@bethecricket) January 31, 2022
From The New York Post:
Maddow will executive produce a Focus Features movie based on her book and podcast, “Bag Man,” about a political bribery scandal.
Her absence is expected to last a few weeks, after which she will return to host her nightly hour-long talk show. Maddow will also contribute to the network’s coverage of major live events.
Last year, Maddow signed a lucrative $30 million-per-year contract through 2024 to stay at MSN
The terms of the deal allowed Maddow to scale back her nightly schedule so she could work on other media ventures including streaming and podcasting.
Maddow is said to be eyeing the creation of another podcast as well as other projects in collaboration with Phil Griffin, who recently stepped down as president of MSNBC.
From Deadline:
At the time she signed her new deal, there were reports that she planned to scale back her schedule with The Rachel Maddow Show, but nothing has been announced. The source said that Maddow will return to her regular schedule when the hiatus is over.
Maddow is the top rated personality at MSNBC, and has hosted her show since 2008. Last week, MSNBC announced a change in its schedule, with Stephanie Ruhle taking over the 11 PM timeslot following the departure of Brian Williams. Business Insider first reported the news of Maddow’s hiatus.
EXCLUSIVE Rachel Maddow to take a temporary break from her MSNBC show to work on movie and podcast projects https://t.co/6wB4n93Rd7 via @businessinsider
— Claire Atkinson 🏴 (@claireatki) January 31, 2022