Rachel Maddow

Rachel Maddow Taking Hiatus From MSNBC Show Until April

“Change is good,” Maddow said on her show. “Change is absolutely terrifying, but in this case it's good”

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2017 file photo, MSNBC television anchor Rachel Maddow, host of "The Rachel Maddow Show," moderates a panel at a forum called "Perspectives on National Security," at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow said Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 she is quarantining after being in contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. Maddow said on social media that she tested negative so far for COVID-19 but plans to remain at home until it's “safe for me to be back at work without putting anyone at risk.”
AP Photo/Steven Senne, File

Rachel Maddow, MSNBC's most popular personality, said Monday she will be taking a hiatus from her prime time show until April to work on a new podcast and that a movie is being made of her first book and podcast about former Vice President Spiro Agnew.

“Change is good,” she said on her show. “Change is absolutely terrifying, but in this case it's good.”

She said she's going to help out with the movie of “Bag Man” on former President Richard Nixon's disgraced vice president, to be directed by Ben Stiller and produced by “Saturday Night Live” executive producer Lorne Michaels.

Maddow gave no details on her second podcast, being made for NBC Universal.

“I am super-excited to tell you about it when I have more to tell,” said Maddow, who hosted her show from her home on Monday because she had been exposed to someone who had tested positive and shown symptoms of COVID-19.

Although she'll be off from her regular show starting on Friday, she's expected to appear during MSNBC's coverage of some major events, like President Joe Biden's State of the Union address. Ali Velshi, her most frequent substitute host, and other MSNBC personalities are expected to fill in on the regular evening telecast.

Maddow's absence could be a glimpse into MSNBC's future. It has been widely reported that Maddow will step back from hosting her program every night as part of a new contract with the network, although MSNBC has never commented on that. Maddow hinted at it Monday by saying there will be “more hiatuses in the future.”

Losing her on a regular basis could be a challenge for the network, which has seen its viewership slip from the highs of the 2020 presidential election campaign and its aftermath.

Rachel Maddow talks about what she thinks a Biden presidency will look like after the U.S. Capitol riot.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
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