Alex Wagner To Take Over Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC Time Slot

Alex Wagner has secured Rachel Maddow‘s 9 p.m. ET time slot at MSNBC, the network announced Monday, June 27. The long-time journalist, editor, and producer has served as a senior political analyst and guest anchor for MSNBC since February 2022, and has been a familiar face on TV news shows for years. Maddow announced her shortened hours on April 12 after a two-month hiatus.

Wagner will host the 9 p.m. hour Tuesdays through Fridays starting August 16. Maddow will trim her hours down to one show a week on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET. Maddow’s show will still be titled The Rachel Maddow Show. An official title for Wagner’s program will be announced at a later date.

Ahead of August 16, a rotation of MSNBC anchors will continue to host MSNBC Prime Tuesdays through Fridays at 9 p.m. ET. Maddow will continue to host The Rachel Maddow Show on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET and will join MSNBC for special coverage, breaking news events, and specials on MSNBC and streaming.

Wagner will also contribute to special coverage for MSNBC, including the pivotal midterm elections this fall. And with this announcement, Wagner becomes the only Asian American to host a primetime cable news program.

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“I’m honored to be anchoring a key hour of television in such a critical time for American democracy,” Wagner said in a statement. “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.”

“Alex Wagner in the 9 p.m. hour was a clear choice,” said MSNBC President Rashida Jones. “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. I am looking forward to watching Alex thrive in MSNBC’s primetime lineup.”

I am absolutely thrilled and honored and generally upside down with excitement to come back home to @MSNBC to host the 9PM hour, beginning August 16th. LET’S DO THIS https://t.co/bgJAcmuDtt

— alexwagner (@alexwagner) June 27, 2022

Wagner is a first-generation Asian American whose mother emigrated to the U.S. from Myanmar (Burma). Throughout her years in digital and print journalism, Wagner has covered topics such as immigration and race relations to American nationalism and foreign affairs.

The journalist previously hosted NOW with Alex Wagner on MSNBC from 2011 to 2015. Prior to that, she co-hosted and executive produced The Circus on Showtime, an Emmy-nominated weekly docuseries. And she served as a special correspondent for CBS News and co-host of CBS This Morning: Saturday. The host was previously a Senior Editor at The Atlantic, a HuffPost economics reporter, and White House correspondent for AOL’s Politics Daily.