Jen Psaki To Cash Out, In Talks With MSNBC And CNN For New Show: Report
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is reportedly in talks to join CNN or MSNBC when she leaves the White House sometime this year. Dylan Byers, a founding partner and senior correspondent at Puck News, said both networks are trying to sign Psaki to a deal to help steady their falling ratings.
Byers said, “Psaki has achieved veritable celebrity status for her daily press briefings, which have restored sanity and professionalism to the office and earned her the adoration of the mainstream media, as well as a fervent following online. She is a political celebrity, with the combination of West Wing bona fides and telegenic charm. Psaki wants to be on TV, to be sure, but the industry needs her even more.
“Jen Psaki intends to leave the White House later this year and, according to sources familiar with her thinking, intends to go into television news—not as a contributor, but as a host. She met with CNN and MSNBC executives earlier this month.”
He claims CNN interim co-president Amy Entelis and CNN+ programming lead Rebecca Kutler were in Washington for a ‘top-secret and mission-critical recruitment assignment.’
He said that despite the chaos surrounding the network after multiple scandals tied to top talent and executives the network was there ‘to court a new potential on-air talent who, in their eyes, had the potential to become a marquee star.’
He goes on to say less than a week later NBC came to town to try to sign Psaki too.
He wrote:
‘NBC News Chairman Cesar Conde and MSNBC President Rashida Jones made a similar pilgrimage to Washington to meet with the very same talent, in the hopes that she might one day join their networks in a flagship role, and perhaps even take the top spot in primetime on MSNBC.’
‘The potential talent, of course, was Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary,’ he said.
From The New York Post:
A source told The Post that UTA super agent and co-president Jay Sures shopped the idea of Psaki as a potential cable news primetime host all over town, drumming up interest, before he signed her.
His timing couldn’t be better as TV networks are looking to shake up their lineups. And perhaps more urgently for CNN and MSNBC, both networks are in need of new blood for their primetime shows.
MSNBC lost its star anchor, Maddow, who has stepped away from her 9 p.m. ET show, in order to pursue other projects.
Jen Psaki intends to leave the White House later this year and, according to sources familiar with her thinking, intends to go into television news—not as a contributor, but as a host. She met with CNN and MSNBC executives earlier this month… https://t.co/3eRdsYsuPA @PuckNews
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) February 23, 2022
👀 Reed Jobs, son of Laurene Powell Jobs and the late Steve Jobs, has said he would consider running for Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat, @teddyschleifer scoops
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) February 23, 2022
This is a seat Pelosi’s own daughter is also interested in, as @teddyschleifer also reported https://t.co/x6Pl2NmX6q
Peter Doocy: "Gas in California is almost $5 a gallon. Should people across the country expect to see that kind of a number when they go to gas up their car?"
— The Hill (@thehill) February 23, 2022
Jen Psaki: "As you heard the president say last week, standing up for our values is not without cost." pic.twitter.com/eXSO5I5jQm