EXCLUSIVE: MSNBC BEGS RACHEL MADDOW TO RETURN FULL-TIME AS JEN PSAKI RATINGS CRATER
After Jen Psaki’s second episode tanks in key demo, insiders say execs are panicking — and Rachel holds all the cards
It’s red alert at MSNBC.
Network insiders tell #ShuterScoop that executives are quietly begging Rachel Maddow to return to her full-time, five-night-a-week schedule after Jen Psaki’s new show The Briefing nosedived in just its second episode, drawing a shockingly low 65,000 viewers in the coveted 25-54 demo.
“They’re calling it a full-blown crisis,” one senior insider confesses. “If Rachel doesn’t come back, a lot of people are going to lose their jobs.”
Psaki’s Tuesday premiere was modestly solid at 1.2 million total viewers, but by Wednesday, she had shed nearly half of her audience in the key demographic, placing her behind Friends reruns, Bob’s Burgers, and even Paw Patrol.
“This isn’t a soft launch — this is a disaster,” the source said bluntly. “The numbers tanked, and the mood inside 30 Rock is panic.”
Maddow, who famously scaled back her nightly duties in 2022, now only appears on Monday nights at 9 p.m., handing the rest of the week over to rotating fill-ins — most recently Psaki, who was supposed to be the big fix.
But it’s clear now: the viewers want Maddow, not a press secretary.
“She wanted the job full-time,” a second insider says of Psaki. “but she’s better as a Sunday host or a guest analyst. Prime time is a beast, and Rachel made it look easy — but it’s not.”
Despite Maddow’s recent praise of Psaki — saying she’d make the 9 p.m. hour “better than Rachel Maddow” — network brass don’t agree.
“They’re not looking for humility right now,” the insider adds. “They’re looking for ratings. And Rachel brings ratings.”
While Maddow has publicly distanced herself from the Washington insider scene, MSNBC knows she remains the network’s only bankable star in a time of slumping viewership and internal upheaval.
“She’s the only person who can hold the audience,” a longtime producer says. “If she says no… it’s going to be a bloodbath. They need her. Period. This isn’t about politics. It’s about survival.”
#ShuterScoop — where TV ratings aren’t polite, and even legends get begged back to the desk.
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MSNBC should bring back Joy Reid
Wow. I'm still pissed at how the big wigs treated Alex Wagner. She was promised after the first 100 days that she would get her show back. Now is looking like Jen's ratings will be worse than Alex's. Before the election Alex's ratings were around 1.5 million. I doubt they are going to be able to get Rachel back on 5 days a week.