MSNBC Updates Its Schedule: Alicia Menendez and Stephanie Ruhle Join the Daytime Lineup, Ali Velshi Takes Over ‘The 11th Hour,’ and Ana Cabrera is Leaving
MS NOW has announced a significant programming overhaul, marking its first major schedule change since the Versant spinoff. Alicia Menendez will transition to anchor a daytime slot, Stephanie Ruhle will return to morning broadcasts, and Ali Velshi will assume the role of host for The 11th Hour.
The changes also include Luke Russert stepping into Menendez’s former position as co-host of The Weeknight, partnering with Symone Sanders Townsend and Michael Steele. Jacob Soboroff will fill Velshi’s previous weekend time slot, while Morning Joe is set to revert to a three-hour format. Notably, Ana Cabrera, who has been anchoring in the morning hours, will be departing the network.
These adjustments will take effect in June.
Rebecca Kutler, president of MS NOW, informed staff in a memo that the restructuring will offer employees opportunities for new roles. “In most cases, comparable opportunities will be available to employees as these changes take shape. Overall, we expect to have more people working at MS NOW by the end of 2026 than we do today,” she stated.
One key driver behind the schedule changes is a desire to enhance daytime programming, which has seen inconsistent viewership compared to the network’s prime time offerings. The network has indicated that daytime shows will remain focused on hard news, although new program titles will be unveiled soon.
Ruhle will launch a new program airing from 9-11 a.m. ET while continuing her role as senior business analyst and co-host of the MS NOW YouTube Live series, It’s Happening with Velshi & Ruhle.
Morning Joe will return to a three-hour format, beginning at 6 a.m. ET. After an expansion to the 9 a.m. ET hour in 2022, hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski have acknowledged the increased demands associated with this shift. Jonathan Lemire will join as co-anchor for the 8 a.m. hour, and the show will integrate into the network’s forthcoming subscription offering.
Menendez is set to take over the noon to 2 p.m. ET time slot, while a new anchor for the 11 a.m. ET hour will be announced in the coming weeks. As co-anchor of The Weeknight since its launch last year, Menendez has contributed to a reported 30% increase in total viewership and a 46% boost in the 25-54 demographic compared to the previous program, The ReidOut.
Chris Jansing, currently anchoring at 1 p.m. ET, will transition to the role of chief political reporter. She began her tenure at the network as an anchor covering 9/11 and has served in various capacities, including White House correspondent.
Katy Tur will retain her 2-4 p.m. ET slot, followed by Nicolle Wallace from 4-6 p.m. ET. The Weeknight will continue to air at 7 p.m. ET throughout the week, down from its previous two-hour slot on Mondays. All In with Chris Hayes will return to its regular 8 p.m. ET slot that night.
Luke Russert has been a fill-in anchor for The Weekend since its launch and has also served as host and creative director of MS NOW Live. He is the author of Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself, a memoir about his father, Tim Russert.
Velshi will continue to serve as chief data reporter, a critical role during election coverage, alongside his new responsibilities as host of The 11th Hour. With the network since 2016, he has been anchoring his weekend show, Velshi.
Soboroff will take over weekend anchoring from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET while remaining the senior national and political reporter. His reporting highlights include coverage of the 2024 conventions and significant events such as the January 2025 wildfires. He recently authored Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster.
Cabrera, who joined the network from CNN in 2023, announced her departure via social media, stating, “I’ve decided to make a change, and I am leaving MS NOW.” While she has not disclosed her future plans, she expressed her commitment to impactful journalism, saying, “My goal has always been to educate and inform and shine light…”
Several of the upcoming changes at MS NOW were initially reported by Status. The network rebranded as MS NOW late last year in anticipation of its separation from NBC News and parent company Comcast. Since then, MS NOW has been establishing its own newsroom and forming a partnership with Sky News for international coverage.
