MSNBC Introduces Its Newest TV Star Following Joy Reid’s Dismissal
Daniels, 36, a White House correspondent for Politico, has been tapped to host The Weekend, the network confirmed Monday.
Meanwhile, the show’s current co-hosts—Michael Steele, Alicia Menendez, and Symone Sanders-Townsend—will transition to the weeknight 7 p.m. slot previously occupied by Reid.
This shake-up is part of a major lineup overhaul reportedly orchestrated by MSNBC’s new chief, Rebecca Kutler, who took over from Rashida Jones last month.
Jones made history as the first Black woman to lead a major news network, though her tenure lasted just three years.
Since her departure, the left-leaning network has struggled with declining ratings, leading to The ReidOut’s cancellation on February 24.
The reshuffling also resulted in Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart, and Ayman Mohyeldin losing their respective shows—though Capehart and Mohyeldin will transition to weekend slots.
Daniels—a self-proclaimed “Walking Beyoncé Encyclopedia”—will be joined by The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart and an additional co-host yet to be announced.
The shake-up comes as MSNBC attempts to counter significant double-digit ratings declines.
Eugene Daniels, 36, has been announced as the new host of The Weekend, MSNBC confirmed on Monday. The journalist—formerly with Politico and a regular MSNBC contributor—expressed his excitement during Monday’s Morning Joe.
A former college football standout known for his bold and flamboyant style, Daniels will officially join MSNBC’s permanent lineup this spring after four years as a Morning Joe contributor.
Joy Reid Weeps as She Breaks Silence on MSNBC Firing
“Thank you. You guys put me on TV all the time, so now they just stuck me there,” Daniels joked about his new role during a Monday appearance on Morning Joe, playfully telling hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, “This is all your fault.”
Daniels made his first MSNBC appearance as a contributor in 2021, following his 2018 signing with Politico, and has since been featured on the network more than 100 times.
Recognized for his bold fashion sense and charismatic presence, Daniels gained prominence while covering the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris campaigns—especially the latter, which helped him emerge as a breakout media figure.
In an interview with The Poynter Institute on the eve of Donald Trump’s victory, Daniels reflected on a moment from his early reporting days in Colorado Springs. He recalled an old boss telling him that his voice was “too Black” for the job.
“[That experience] taught me, first and foremost, that racism is still very real. This was around 2014—a completely different time when speaking out wasn’t as common,” he shared at the time.
“You kind of took it and moved on, which is what I did. I left very confused and hurt.”
“What I took from that is a lot of people are going to have a lot to say, and you don’t always have to listen.”
Just weeks before being profiled in a feature titled “Meet Eugene Daniels, Politico’s Kamala Harris Expert,” Daniels was one of only three Black journalists granted an exclusive interview with Vice President Harris on September 17 in Philadelphia.
This brought him face-to-face with the very figure he had been assigned to cover by Politico in 2020—a role he proudly embraced, as he later told Poynter.
The current hosts of the morning show—Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, and Symone Sanders-Townsend—will take over the 7 PM slot previously held by Reid. This shift marks a significant move, bringing three people of color into a primetime position.
Since then, MSNBC has struggled with lackluster ratings, ultimately leading to Reid’s dismissal. This shake-up also saw Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart, and Ayman Mohyeldin lose their shows—though Capehart and Mohyeldin will now be joining The Weekend alongside Daniels.
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The ReidOut debuted on July 20, 2020, drawing nearly 3 million viewers per episode at its peak. However, by February 20 of this year, that number had plummeted to just 778,000.
In February 2021, MSNBC averaged 1.4 million daytime viewers and 2.9 million in primetime—figures that have since dropped to 613,000 and 1 million, respectively.
“They told me there was no better example of new power than a Black woman rising to No. 2. I was thrilled and genuinely proud of that,” Daniels reflected.
“And then they approached me, saying, ‘We want you to do that, but also as part of the Playbook team we’re putting together,’” Daniels recalled just hours before Harris ultimately lost the election.
“Harris was always going to be a significant figure,” he added. “I don’t think many people realized just how important, though.”
During the final stretch of Harris’s fast-paced campaign, articles highlighted Daniels for his “fashion sense that reflects his bold approach to reporting,” branding him the “breakout star” of the 2024 election.
The journalist previously played as a defensive lineman for Colorado State University, having committed to the Division I football team with a letter of intent in 2007.
He competed for two seasons before a shoulder injury prematurely ended his athletic career.
Daniels will lead the revamped Weekend show alongside Capehart and a yet-to-be-named third host, while Mohyeldin will join a newly introduced evening edition of The Weekend.
Daniels is pictured here during a November episode of NBC News’s Meet the Press, following his rise to prominence during Kamala Harris’s campaign.
After coming out as gay in 2016, he was elected treasurer of the White House Correspondents’ Association in 2022.
He will now lead the revamped Weekend show alongside Capehart and a yet-to-be-named third co-host, while Mohyeldin transitions to a new evening edition of The Weekend.
Meanwhile, Phang—formerly the host of the soon-to-be-canceled Katie Phang Show—will stay with MSNBC as a legal analyst.
Reid’s final episode aired last Monday, and according to staffers, she will not be remaining with the network.
