MS NOW, the home of politics show Morning Joe, has announced major changes to its lineup, including cutting down the airtime of its flagship program and dropping one of its star presenters.
The changes, announced Wednesday by MS NOW president Rebecca Kutler, are the first since the network’s split from NBC in November and are due to take effect in June.
Morning Joe, hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, will be shortened from four hours to three, and now run from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Both hosts have previously called for the decision
“Getting up at 4:30 in the morning, and getting shot out of a cannon at 6 a.m. and tap dancing for four hours, there’s literally nobody on the planet that understands what that’s like, except for the person that I’m with all the time,” Scarborough told People in November.
Ana Cabrera
Another big change includes the departure of Ana Cabrera, host of the Ana Cabrera Reports show, which previously aired daily from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily.
In a video posted online Wednesday morning, Cabrera shared her decision to leave.
“Throughout my career, I've always sought the best opportunities to do this work and have the greatest impact while staying true to myself and my mission as a journalist,” she said.
“That's what I've always done and what I will continue to do now, understand I am truly grateful for my time at MS NOW for my wonderful colleagues, my amazing team that works so hard every day, and for you, the viewers who put your trust in me to serve you through this most meaningful work.”
Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle
Meanwhile, Ali Velshi will take over the late-night show The 11th Hour, airing at 11 p.m., from Stephanie Ruhle, with whom he previously co-hosted It’s Happening.
Ruhle is moving to a two-hour morning slot from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. with a focus on money and politics, according to Kutler’s update.
In a recent interview, Ruhle praised the freedom brought to MS NOW since the split from NBC, telling Mediaite: “I love our studios, I love working together, I love being with the team.
“And kind of the beauty is, it’s a 25-year-old company… We have the legacy, we have the brand of all that we’ve built, and now we have the nimbleness of not necessarily having to ask NBC’s permission.”
Other changes
Alicia Menendez, co-host of The Weeknight, is taking over the 12 p.m to 2 p.m. slot and Luke Russert is becoming a full-time part of the team. Elsewhere, Jon Lemire will switch his co-anchor position from 9 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Despite the major changes, Kutler emphasized in a memo to staff that the network would not be cutting back on resources.“As part of these programming changes, team members will have the opportunity to shift into new roles to support new priorities,” she wrote.
“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.
“I am confident that these changes will make what is already a successful lineup even stronger in the future. We are fortunate to have so many exceptional journalists on our air, online, and behind the scenes.”
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