MSNBC Axes Mehdi Hasan In Lineup Change, Preps ‘The Weekend’ With Symone Sanders & More
Written by djfrosty on December 1, 2023
Source: Patrick Randak / MSNBC
In a surprising announcement, MSNBC has canceled journalist Mehdi Hasan’s show as part of a new weekend lineup change.
Fans of veteran journalist Mehdi Hasan got some bad news as it was reported that MSNBC has ended his show as part of a broader lineup change for its weekend programming. His one-hour show which aired on Sundays will be taken over by fellow journalist Ayman Mohyeldin, whose own show will extend from one hour to two. Hasan will stay on with MSNBC as an analyst and a fill-in host when the occasion arises. Other changes include Jonathan Capehart’s time slot on the weekends being moved to 6 P.M., and analyst and lawyer Katie Phang’s show being moved to noon on Saturdays.
MSNBC President Rashida Jones announced the changes in an internal memo sent out on Thursday (November 30), saying the moves “will evolve our weekend programming to better position ourselves as we head into the presidential election.” The news of Hasan’s show ending was met with dismay, considering that he was one of the journalists who had been asking hard questions of the Israeli government as their war against Hamas began on October 7, with an interview with senior adviser Mark Regev.
One prominent figure voicing their dismay is Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California, who called the decision “bad optics” for MSNBC. “As a strong supporter of free speech, MSNBC owes the public an explanation for this decision. Why would they choose to do this now?”, he wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The major component of the shakeup is the debut of The Weekend, a new show that will be hosted by MSNBC anchors Alicia Menendez, Symone Sanders-Townsend, and Michael Steele. The Weekend will air from Washington D.C. from 8 to 10 AM on Saturdays and Sundays beginning January 13. Menendez joined MSNBC in 2019 and had her program on Saturdays and Sundays before the move. Sanders-Townsend also had her own MSNBC show, SYMONE which aired on Peacock as well after joining the network in 2022 after serving as Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson to Vice President Kamala Harris. A former lieutenant governor of Maryland and RNC Chairman, Steele has been a frequent guest and fill-in host on MSNBC.