Taking Over for Maddow at MSNBC

It was a giant hole to fill and it appears that MSNBC has found the person to do it.

The network announced that Alex Wagner will fill the timeslot left with Rachel Maddow changing her role at MSNBC.

Maddow is easily the biggest star on MSNBC and Wagner has big shoes to fill.

 MSNBC announced that the new program, which will be named at a later date, will premiere August 16th and air Tuesdays through Fridays. Rachel Maddow will continue to host The Rachel Maddow Show on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.

“Alex Wagner in the 9pm hour was a clear choice. Her unique perspective—built on more than two decades in journalism—and tenacious reporting in the U.S. and abroad will help our audiences contextualize what matters,” MSNBC President Rashida Jones said. “I am looking forward to watching Alex thrive in MSNBC’s primetime lineup."

“I’m honored to be anchoring a key hour of television in such a critical time for American democracy,” Wagner said. “In many ways, the stakes have never been higher, and there’s no better place to explore this moment than MSNBC. I’m thrilled to be coming home.”

Wagner has served at every level of journalism both in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes. A first-generation Asian American whose mother emigrated to the U.S. from Myanmar (Burma). Wagner’s work is reflective of her experience. She has covered issues ranging from immigration and race relations to American nationalism and foreign affairs. 

In 2011, Wagner made her MSNBC debut as host of the daily news program NOW with Alex Wagner after serving as an analyst for the network since 2010. In February 2022, Wagner made her return to MSNBC as a Senior Political Analyst and guest anchor.

Before joining MSNBC, Wagner was co-host and executive producer of Showtime’s weekly political docuseries, The Circus. She also served as a special correspondent for CBS News and co-host of CBS This Morning: Saturday. Previously, she was a Senior Editor at The Atlantic. Wagner also served as a reporter for HuffPost where she covered the economy and White House correspondent for AOL’s Politics Daily.