MSNBC’s O'Donnell, Psaki and Wagner hit all-time viewership lows despite busy news week
A trio of MSNBC programs hit all-time viewership lows last week as the network continues to struggle on the heels of President-elect Donald Trump’s Election Day victory.
"Alex Wagner Tonight," "Inside with Jen Psaki" and "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" all hit rock bottom last week despite a busy news cycle that included the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the ensuing manhunt for his killer, a slew of news related to Trump’s Cabinet picks, the fallout from President Biden announcing he would pardon his son, Hunter, and Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad being ousted from power.
"Alex Wagner Tonight," which airs during Rachel Maddow’s 9 p.m. ET timeslot on Tuesday through Friday because "The Rachel Maddow Show" only airs on Mondays, averaged only 595,000 total viewers during the week of December 2 for its lowest-rated week since the show’s 2022 debut.
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"Inside with Jen Psaki" averaged only 651,000 total viewers for the program’s smallest weekly audience since it launched last year when Psaki famously ditched her gig as Biden’s first press secretary to join MSNBC.
"The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" managed more total viewers than it had last week, but the program hit an all-time low among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54. "The Last Word" averaged only 61,000 demo viewers last week for its smallest audience in the critical measurable since the show launched in 2010.
The ratings lows come as Comcast recently announced it would spin off NBCUniversal cable assets, including MSNBC, into a separate company that will not be tied to NBC News. As a result, the fate of shared resources and even the cable network's name and editorial direction are in question.
Meanwhile, "Morning Joe" co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski angered many viewers last month when they admitted they met face-to-face with Trump after spending years insisting he was a "fascist" and an overall threat to democracy.
Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.