Rashida Jones Steps Down as President of MSNBC After Four Years
Rashida Jones, the historic president of MSNBC, announced her departure on Tuesday, ending her four-year tenure at the helm of the cable news network. Jones made history as the first Black executive to lead a major U.S. television news network.
Jones informed top MSNBC anchors, leaders, and staff of her decision, with plans to stay on in an advisory role until March. Rebecca Kutler, the network’s senior vice president of content strategy, was named interim president. Jones recruited Kutler to the network in 2022 and praised her for her contributions.
Jones reflected on her time at MSNBC, stating, “I came to this decision over the holidays while reflecting on our remarkable journey and the many successes we’ve achieved together as a team. This has been the most rewarding chapter of my professional career, and I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished, which has been made possible only by you.”
The announcement comes nearly two months after Comcast announced its plan to spin off most of its cable TV networks, including MSNBC, into a separate publicly traded company, currently known as SpinCo. Jones took charge of MSNBC in February 2021, following the inauguration of President Joe Biden and the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Under Jones’ leadership, MSNBC experienced ratings triumphs on major political nights, retained and signed long-term deals with top talent, and made significant investments in digital offerings. The network still ended last year as the No. 2 network across cable, with 807,000 average viewers daily and 1.3 million viewers in prime-time hours.
Mark Lazarus, the incoming chief executive of SpinCo, praised Jones for her guidance, stating, “Rashida has expertly navigated MSNBC through a years-long, unrelenting, and unprecedented news cycle, all while driving the network to record viewership and making investments in nonlinear businesses. MSNBC is well-positioned for the future.”
Lazarus assured staff that the network will retain its name after the spin-off transaction is complete. Jones previously served as senior vice president of NBC News and MSNBC, overseeing and leading the production of cross-network special events, including election night coverage and presidential debates.