Jan 14, 2025 - Business

Rashida Jones steps down as president of MSNBC

Sara Fischer

Rashida Jones has stepped down as president of MSNBC, Axios has confirmed. Rebecca Kutler, the network's senior vice president of content strategy, has been named interim president.

The big picture: The news comes at a critical moment for the cable network, which has seen audience declines following Trump's November victory.

Why it matters: Jones became the first Black executive to lead a major television news network when she was named president in 2021.

Zoom in: In a note to staff, longtime NBC executive Mark Lazarus, who will lead Comcast's new publicly traded company of cable networks that will include MSNBC, lauded Jones' tenure, and called Kutler the "ideal leader to guide us through this moment."

In a note to staff announcing her resignation, Jones said she decided to step down over the holidays.
"I am more confident than ever that MSNBC is well-positioned for the future," she noted.

Between the lines: MSNBC hopes to recapture viewers with strategic programming bets.

On Monday it announced that its star anchor, Rachel Maddow, would return to hosting her 9pm ET show five nights a week for the first 100 days of Trump's presidency.
Maddow has been hosting the show on Mondays only since May 2022 while pursuing other long-form projects with NBCUniversal such as documentaries and podcasts.

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Rashida Jones steps down as president of MSNBC

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