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Comcast is finally pulling the plug on MSNBC, the media giant announced this Wednesday. This is tough luck for the overpaid and increasingly out-of-touch anchors who work there (temporarily). MSNBC, along with other cable channels that aren't doing so well, but not Bravo which is all about reality TV, will be turned into a separate company that anyone can buy stock in by the end of next year. This means MSNBC will no longer be part of the supposedly more serious and neutral NBC News, which often shares stories, fact-checking (take that with a grain of salt), and guest commentators with MSNBC. Comcast executives informed MSNBC employees on Wednesday that the channel might lose its name and the iconic peacock logo after this split. Plus, those huge p
The decision hints that Comcast's bigwigs can no longer explain to their investors why they keep paying top dollar to stars like Rachel Maddow, Joe Scarborough, and Joy Reid. Even though MSNBC and other cable channels owned by Comcast still bring in cash, their earnings have dropped a lot lately. That's why the higher-ups and those with money in the company are looking to dump what they call "declining assets." When word got out about the plan on Tuesday, Comcast's stock went up after the market closed. The hosts at MSNBC have done well for themselves, making big bucks by stirring up political fervor for a shrinking crowd of older folks. After this year's election, in prime time, MSNBC only managed to pull in 65,000 viewers aged 25-54, which is less than 10% of their total audience.
"This is sort of a very clear, direct statement by Comcast," Rich Greenfield, cofounder of the research firm LightShed Partners, told CNBC, which, by the way, is also being spun off into the new entity. "They are exiting the cable network business. This is them saying we don’t want to be in this business. This is no longer a growth business. It’s going to be around for a long time, but it’s just no longer a growth business."
After MSNBC and its related channels like USA, E!, and Oprah's Oxygen are spun off into their own company, the new bosses will likely seize the chance to streamline operations by laying off employees and cutting pay. The ridiculous situation where MSNBC anchors rake in millions to talk about extreme topics like Hitler to a shrinking crowd of just tens of thousands in total, and even fewer in the key 25-54 age group, will come to an end. Sure, some of the big names might talk about leaving, but their options are limited. CNN? Forget it. They're already in the process of downsizing too. The days of easy money are over, and frankly, most people in America don't seem too upset about it.
Here's a peek at a few of the outrageous MSNBC anchor salaries that executives at the new, yet-to-be-named media company are likely to cut dramatically:
Rachel Maddow [aka Madcow]
Once MSNBC and other channels like USA, E!, and Oprah's Oxygen become their own separate company, the new leaders will probably jump at the chance to make the business more efficient by letting some people go and drastically reduce salaries. The crazy part where MSNBC hosts get paid big bucks for discussing over-the-top subjects like Hitler to only a few thousand viewers, and even less in the important 25-54 age group, will be over. Sure, some famous hosts might think about quitting, but their choices are slim. CNN? No way. They're already cutting back. The era of making easy money is done, and honestly, most Americans aren't too bothered by it.
Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski [aka Mr. and Mrs. Scarborough
They'll say or do just about anything to boost their ratings and promote themselves. This big-shot couple at MSNBC, known for being bullies, sneaky, looking out for themselves, and being total hypocrites, just went to Mar-a-Lago to meet President-elect Trump. Remember, these are the same people who called him a "racist" and "fascist" like Hitler during the election. They probably got a huge pay deal like Rachel Maddow did. Scarborough, in particular, has gotten really out of touch. Scarborough claimed that the current Joe Biden was sharpest ever, which was clearly not true, especially since Biden's debate went so badly it made him quit the 2024 race. Despite once criticizing Al Sharpton for his anti-Semitic remarks, Scarborough often has him on to talk about stuff, even anti-Semitism.
Chris Hayes [aka Rachel Maddow-ish]
Chris Hayes, often referred to by his colleagues as "the male Rachel Maddow" but without her knack for reading from a teleprompter, tries to copy her smug attitude and factual inaccuracies. He's also facing a defamation lawsuit. When Hayes isn't disrespecting the military or advocating for transgender surgeries for kids, he's good at pushing racially charged comments on his show. Recently, he sat there, nodding, while Sherrilyn Ifill, ex-president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, made unsubstantiated claims that Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, was a white supremacist. This was too much even for Michael LaRosa, a long-time Democratic strategist and ex-MSNBC producer, who commented, "This stuff has to stop," pointing out that such rhetoric contributed to political losses.
Joy Reid
Joy Reid, who a lot of corporate leaders would probably want to get rid of because she's a political risk, actually got a promotion in 2020. This was even after she tried to say her old blog was "hacked" when people found old posts that were homophobic and anti-Semitic. Since then, her influence at MSNBC, a network that obviously doesn't have a problem with anti-Semitism, has just gotten bigger, but her show has turned into a platform for extreme racial issues and all sorts of wild claims. She brings on so called "experts" who say Republicans are making it impossible for Black people to vote, has accused Republicans of teaching people about "inflation," and recently criticized Latino men for voting for Trump, saying they're betraying their own race and families. None of this is based in reality and is itself racist.
Chris Hayes, often referred to by his colleagues as "the male Rachel Maddow" but without her knack for reading from a teleprompter, tries to copy her smug attitude and factual inaccuracies. He's also facing a defamation lawsuit. When Hayes isn't disrespecting the military or advocating for transgender surgeries for kids, he's good at pushing racially charged comments on his show. Recently, he sat there, nodding, while Sherrilyn Ifill, ex-president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, made unsubstantiated claims that Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, was a white supremacist. This was too much even for Michael LaRosa, a long-time Democratic strategist and ex-MSNBC producer, who commented, "This stuff has to stop," pointing out that such rhetoric contributed to political losses.
Joy Reid
Joy Reid, who a lot of corporate leaders would probably want to get rid of because she's a political risk, actually got a promotion in 2020. This was even after she tried to say her old blog was "hacked" when people found old posts that were homophobic and anti-Semitic. Since then, her influence at MSNBC, a network that obviously doesn't have a problem with anti-Semitism, has just gotten bigger, but her show has turned into a platform for extreme racial issues and all sorts of wild claims. She brings on so called "experts" who say Republicans are making it impossible for Black people to vote, has accused Republicans of teaching people about "inflation," and recently criticized Latino men for voting for Trump, saying they're betraying their own race and families. None of this is based in reality and is itself racist.
Al Sharpton [aka Sharptongue]
Although Sharpton's official salary isn't high, people argue he's a race baiting idiot and is still getting too much, considering his controversial past. He was behind the 1991 Crown Heights riots, a major anti-Semitic event in America. Yet, the make-believe Reverend still collects a paycheck. The Kamala Harris campaign gave $500,000 to his group, the National Action Network, right before Sharpton had a cozy chat with Harris on his MSNBC show. This group is pretty cozy with MSNBC's head, Rashida Jones, who got a special award from them in 2021 and 2024.
Nicolle Wallace
Nicolle Wallace, who used to work for the Republicans but switched sides when she moved to New York and started getting paid to criticize them, is famous for pushing the narrative around Michael Avenatti, who was later convicted. She's adored by the #Resistance crowd, often having "experts" on her show who compare January 6 to the 9/11 attacks, saying the former was worse. After her 2019 divorce, Wallace started dating Michael Schmidt from the New York Times, who's been on her show a lot. (They're now married.) Schmidt is working on a Netflix show with Noah Oppenheim, the former NBC News president who's been accused of stopping Ronan Farrow from reporting on Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct.
NBC News
NBC News, which will stay under Comcast's wing, is thought to be in trouble by those in the know. There's a chance they'll have to let some people go and lower the huge salaries of their anchors to make up for the money they'll lose from MSNBC and CNBC. The network itself isn't doing so great either. The Today show, their biggest money-maker, has lost a ton of viewers over the years, and Nightly News with Lester Holt, who reportedly makes about $10 million annually, has seen its ratings in the key 25-54 demographic drop by half since 2018. After the split, Comcast might decide to scale down NBC News, which could mean less pay for stars like Holt and Savannah Guthrie, who makes around $18 million for hosting the Today show. Interestingly, Guthrie is married to Michael Feldman, a Democratic strategist who used to work with Al Gore.
Although Sharpton's official salary isn't high, people argue he's a race baiting idiot and is still getting too much, considering his controversial past. He was behind the 1991 Crown Heights riots, a major anti-Semitic event in America. Yet, the make-believe Reverend still collects a paycheck. The Kamala Harris campaign gave $500,000 to his group, the National Action Network, right before Sharpton had a cozy chat with Harris on his MSNBC show. This group is pretty cozy with MSNBC's head, Rashida Jones, who got a special award from them in 2021 and 2024.
Nicolle Wallace
Nicolle Wallace, who used to work for the Republicans but switched sides when she moved to New York and started getting paid to criticize them, is famous for pushing the narrative around Michael Avenatti, who was later convicted. She's adored by the #Resistance crowd, often having "experts" on her show who compare January 6 to the 9/11 attacks, saying the former was worse. After her 2019 divorce, Wallace started dating Michael Schmidt from the New York Times, who's been on her show a lot. (They're now married.) Schmidt is working on a Netflix show with Noah Oppenheim, the former NBC News president who's been accused of stopping Ronan Farrow from reporting on Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct.
NBC News
NBC News, which will stay under Comcast's wing, is thought to be in trouble by those in the know. There's a chance they'll have to let some people go and lower the huge salaries of their anchors to make up for the money they'll lose from MSNBC and CNBC. The network itself isn't doing so great either. The Today show, their biggest money-maker, has lost a ton of viewers over the years, and Nightly News with Lester Holt, who reportedly makes about $10 million annually, has seen its ratings in the key 25-54 demographic drop by half since 2018. After the split, Comcast might decide to scale down NBC News, which could mean less pay for stars like Holt and Savannah Guthrie, who makes around $18 million for hosting the Today show. Interestingly, Guthrie is married to Michael Feldman, a Democratic strategist who used to work with Al Gore.
