Rachel Maddow, the highest-rated host on MSNBC and one of the most influential figures in liberal media, will be taking a break from her overnight cable show.
Her hiatus is expected to last until April, though no return date has been specified, according to two people on the network who are aware of her plans, and requested anonymity to describe private conversations. She is expected to start her leave after Thursday’s broadcast.
“I’m going to take a little time off from this show,” Ms. Maddow told viewers at the start of her Monday night show. “I’m nervous about all this. It’s a change in my life. But it’s all for the better.”
Whether Ms. Maddow will return to a full slate of nighttime broadcasts, or roll back her schedule to something less grueling, has been the subject of speculation among some MSNBC anchors and producers. She indicated on Monday that she was freeing up more time.
“Maybe there will be a pause in my future someday,” said Mrs. Maddow. “But for now, we’re taking it step by step.”
It’s hard to overestimate Ms. Maddow’s importance to the MSNBC brand. Her 9 p.m. show is a beloved destination for liberal viewers, and it’s routinely the only prime-time program in cable news to come close to Fox News ratings.
Maddow was widely expected to take time off from MSNBC this year to pursue other projects, although many in the industry had predicted her break would come in the spring.
She won’t be completely absent: She’s expected to return to MSNBC from time to time during her hiatus, including for the network’s coverage of President Biden’s state of the union speech in March. For now, a rotation of fill-in anchors will handle the network at 9 p.m.
Maddow’s new contract with the network, signed last year, allows her to focus on a variety of activities beyond her nighttime show. Her decision to take a temporary hiatus was previously reported by Insider.
One of the projects she will be working on over the hiatus is a podcast produced for NBCUniversal. She is also collaborating with actor Ben Stiller and producer Lorne Michaels on a film based on “Bag Man,” a podcast she hosted about the 1970s scandal involving Spiro T. Agnew, who resigned as vice president. president of Richard Nixon.
“There are all these things that I’ve been working on, that I want to work on some more,” Ms Maddow said Monday.
She added: “Change is good. Change is absolutely frightening.”
Executives at MSNBC reconfigure a schedule in motion. Brian Williams, once the popular 11pm host on MSNBC, left the network late last year. MSNBC said last week that he would be replaced by anchor Stephanie Ruhle, with “Morning Joe,” the network’s morning franchise, having an extra hour at 9 a.m.