MS NOW’s biggest scheduling shake-up since the network rebranded landed hard on fans in March, with a sweeping overhaul announced on March 18 that shrinks “Morning Joe,” shuffles beloved anchors into new roles, and sends Ana Cabrera out the door. The changes went into effect in June.
A New Era Under Rebecca Kutler
President Rebecca Kutler announced the sweeping changes on the channel’s daily editorial call on Wednesday. The overhaul marks the first major programming reset since MSNBC rebranded as MS NOW on November 15, 2025, and spun out from NBCUniversal when Comcast separated Versant, with the revamped schedule taking effect in June and affecting mornings, daytime, primetime, and weekends.
“I am confident that these changes will make what is already a successful lineup even stronger in the future,” Kutler said in a memo to staffers. “We are fortunate to have so many exceptional journalists on our air, online, and behind the scenes.”
“Morning Joe” Loses an Hour
Perhaps the most talked-about change is the trimming of “Morning Joe.” The show, hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, will revert to three hours (6 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET) after running four hours since April 2022, with Jonathan Lemire moving from the 9 a.m. slot to co-anchor the 8 a.m. hour. Brzezinski had previously spoken about the toll of the four-hour format and internal discussions about the show’s future.
With “Morning Joe” ceding the 9 a.m. hour, Stephanie Ruhle steps in with a new two-hour weekday morning show from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET focused on money and politics. Ruhle will continue to serve as senior business analyst and will remain a co-host on the MS NOW YouTube Live series “It’s Happening with Velshi & Ruhle.” Ali Velshi, meanwhile, moves from his weekend duties to take over “The 11th Hour,” the network’s late-night signature broadcast. Velshi will also keep his role as chief data reporter.
Daytime Reshuffled, Cabrera Exits
The daytime schedule sees the most dramatic reshuffling. Alicia Menendez, previously a co-anchor on “The Weeknight,” will host a solo show from noon to 2 p.m. ET. Katy Tur holds her 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. slot, and Nicolle Wallace continues anchoring “Deadline: White House” from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET. Chris Jansing transitions out of her anchor chair and into a new role as chief political reporter — a significant assignment heading into the 2026 midterm cycle. The network said a new 11 a.m. anchor will be named in the near future. Jacob Soboroff picks up Velshi’s former weekend time period from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Luke Russert — who leads MS NOW’s live events business — joins “The Weeknight” full time alongside Symone Sanders-Townsend and Michael Steele. “The Weeknight” will shift from two hours to one hour on Mondays, with Chris Hayes returning to anchor “All In” on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET, a slot he had stepped back from in 2023. The program posted a 30% uptick in total viewers and a 46% increase in the 25-to-54 demographic compared to the previous occupant of the 7 p.m. hour.
The one departure drawing the most attention is Ana Cabrera’s. The anchor, who had led the 10 a.m.-to-noon block, announced on social media that she was leaving the network. Cabrera framed her exit as a forward-looking decision, saying she was departing to seek opportunities where she could have the greatest impact while staying true to her journalism mission — holding the powerful accountable and following facts wherever they lead.
Streaming Play and Subscriber Shift
Looking ahead, MS NOW is planning to launch a direct-to-consumer streaming service later in 2026 — a move that figures prominently in the network’s strategy as traditional cable subscriptions decline. Market research firm Kagan projects MS NOW’s subscriber base will dip to 58.8 million in 2026, down from 61.3 million in 2025. Advertising revenue, however, is expected to climb to $717.3 million from $653.9 million, offering the network a cushion as it recalibrates its business model around the midterm election cycle and beyond. Kutler told employees in her memo that the programming changes will bring staff transitions, but that overall the network anticipates a larger workforce at MS NOW by the end of 2026 compared to current levels.