MSNBC Host Jen Psaki’s New Show Crashes And Burns In Ratings Disaster
MSNBC’s latest programming experiment has encountered an unexpectedly rough start, highlighting challenges for the network as it navigates a competitive cable news landscape. Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki launched her new show in the coveted 9 PM Eastern time slot, vacated when Rachel Maddow scaled back to only Mondays, drawing initial curiosity from viewers.
On her debut night, Psaki attracted a promising 1.2 million total viewers, with 139,000 in the adults 25-54 demographic—an audience highly valued by advertisers. The strong start suggested potential for a successful addition to the network’s lineup. However, enthusiasm quickly faded. On the second night, viewership plummeted to just over one million, with the key demographic falling sharply to 65,000. Comparatively, Maddow had previously drawn 1.9 million viewers with 141,000 in the same demographic, signaling a substantial drop for the new show.
The decline represents a loss of 46 percent of total viewers and 54 percent of the coveted 25-54 audience from Maddow’s prior performance. The ratings slump left Psaki trailing behind every Fox News program during the same time frame, as well as thirteen CNN shows, despite occupying a prime evening slot. Basic cable reruns of popular sitcoms, including Friends, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Bob’s Burgers, even surpassed Psaki’s total viewership.
This downturn marks one of the lowest-rated 9 PM shows in MSNBC history for the key demographic on a Wednesday since Alex Wagner’s program drew only 40,000 in the same category in December 2024. The results underline the ongoing difficulties the network faces in maintaining audience engagement amid an increasingly fragmented media environment.
The struggles come amid broader trends impacting MSNBC hosts, with declining viewership affecting even established names. Nicolle Wallace, host of Deadline: White House, has experienced similar challenges following the 2024 presidential election. While her show previously averaged 1.6 million viewers leading up to Election Day, ratings dropped roughly 35 percent after President Trump’s victory, settling near one million daily viewers during the final months of the year.
Wallace’s commentary, including remarks about a young honorary Secret Service agent, sparked significant attention and criticism but failed to reverse the downward trend in her audience. Key demographic numbers fell sharply to 93,000 viewers aged 25-54, signaling decreased advertiser appeal and a shift in the network’s core audience engagement.
These developments highlight the mounting pressure on MSNBC to innovate and capture viewership, even as established programming faces fatigue and a competitive media landscape.