Jen Psaki gets Monday prime time spot on MSNBC

By Oliver Darcy, CNN

(CNN) — Jen Psaki’s cable news show is expanding into prime time.

The former White House press secretary turned MSNBC personality will begin hosting the network’s Monday 8pm ET hour starting on September 25. Psaki has hosted “Inside with Jen Psaki” on Sundays at 12pm ET since the spring of this year, frequently becoming the top-rated cable news show in the timeslot.

Psaki’s entry into prime time will replace an hour of “All In With Chris Hayes,” which has recently been anchored by a cast of rotating hosts. Hayes will continue to anchor the program Tuesday through Friday, a person familiar with the matter said, a move that will allow him to work on his podcast and live events tour.

The shared hour of prime time is not the first for MSNBC. Last year, Alex Wagner took over the 9pm hour from the network’s biggest star, Rachel Maddow, hosting Tuesday through Fridays, with Maddow continuing to host the hour on Mondays and during special events.

The progressive cable network has seen its ratings rise over the last year as former President Donald Trump has faced multiple indictments and CNN’s programming changes under former network chief Chris Licht failed to resonate with audiences. . In June, MSNBC also dethroned Fox News in the ratings, snapping the right-wing channel’s 120-week winning streak in prime time.

Psaki joined MSNBC from the Biden White House in May 2022 as a political analyst. Her Sunday program debuted in March this year to 1.1 million viewers and delivered an average of 931,000 viewers last month. The political-focused show has included a mix of interviews with lawmakers and analysis.

MSNBC also hired Symone Sanders, a former adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris, in 2022 for a weekend program.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.