Wagner ready for prime time: MSNBC
MSNBC has named a permanent new host for its struggling 9 p.m. primetime weeknight slot now that longtime anchor Rachel Maddow has shifted to a one-day-per-week format.
Alex Wagner will anchor the as-yet untitled show Tuesdays through Fridays, beginning Aug. 16, the network said.
“Alex Wagner’s unique perspective — built on more than two decades in journalism — and tenacious reporting . . . will help our audiences contextualize what matters,” MSNBC president Rashida Jones said.
Wagner, the only Asian
American to host a primetime cable news show, will also contribute to special coverage events, including MSNBC’s broadcasts of the 2022 midterm elections.
“I’m honored to be anchoring a key hour of television in such a critical time for American democracy,” said the returning Wagner, who had been a daytime host for the network before moving to CBS News. “There’s no better place to explore this moment than MSNBC.”
Maddow, who has stepped back from fulltime hosting duties to pursue other projects, will continue to anchor her show on Monday nights. She will also anchor coverage during major news events, as she did last week after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Wagner, 44, rejoined the left-leaning network earlier this year as a senior political analyst and guest anchor. She has stepped in as a guest host for both “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “All In With Chris Hayes.”
As The Post previously reported, MSNBC has been mired in a ratings slump in its 9 p.m. time slot — especially on nights when Maddow doesn’t anchor. Its prime-time ratings have outpaced those of CNN, but have trailed far behind those of Fox News’ 9 p.m. opinion program “Hannity.”