rewrite this title MSNBC To Drop Joy Reid From Primetime Lineup; ‘The Weekend’ Anchors And Jen Psaki Eyed For Nighttime Slots

Joy Reid‘s show will be dropped from MSNBC‘s lineup as part of a series of changes expected to be announced this week.

The network is making plans to launch a show featuring The Weekend anchors Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez into the 7 p.m. ET slot, according to a source familiar with the matter. The show would run for two hours on Mondays and for one hour from Tuesday to Friday.

Reid has anchored The ReidOut since 2020, having been put in that time period following the departure of Chris Matthews. Her last show is expected to be this week.

Also expected are other changes, including plans for who will fill the rest of the 9 p.m. ET slot once Rachel Maddow returns to a once-a-week schedule this spring. She was brought back to a five-night-a-week schedule after Donald Trump’s inauguration, as the network looked to boost viewership following a post-election tune out.

Alex Wagner, who had hosted from Tuesdays to Fridays, is not expected to return, and instead will remain at the network as a correspondent. Wagner had been traveling the country on assignment for a series of special reports called Trumpland: The First 100 Days.

Jen Psaki, who hosts a Sunday morning and Monday evening show, is being considered to take anchor duties during that time period, although some other anchors may be shifted around in that slot.

The lineup overhaul is one of the first major changes under new MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler, who succeeded Rashida Jones after her departure in January. Kutler also is looking at adding Politico’s Eugene Daniels and New York University’s Melissa Murray to the lineup. Both have been serving as on-air analysts. Variety and The New York Times first reported on the expected changes.

A network spokesperson declined to comment.

The expected changes are a signal that MSNBC plans to stick with a diverse and progressive roster of primetime anchors in its highest rated nighttime period, as Comcast prepares to spin off the cable channel along with other networks later this year.

Kutler was instrumental in launching The Weekend and Inside with Jen Psaki in recent years, and they have been ratings bright spots for the network. Menendez, who had previously hosted a weekend show for MSNBC, would be the first Latina woman to host a primetime news program for the network. Townsend joined MSNBC in 2022 after serving a chief spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris. Steele, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, had been a political commentator before being named one of co-hosts of The Weekend, which launched in 2024.

Psaki, who served as the first press secretary for President Joe Biden, joined MSNBC in 2022 and launched her Sunday show the next year. She later began hosting the 8 p.m. ET hour on Mondays, as Chris Hayes moved to a four-night-a-week schedule.

Kutler also is looking to build up an MSNBC news team, with plans to establish a bureau in Washington with a team of domestic and international correspondents. She also is planning to hire a head of talent, a head of newsgathering and a head of content strategy. Because of the spinoff, the network no longer will have NBC News as a sister operation.