MSNBC Fixing To Lose Rachel Maddow

Rachel Maddow Plans MSNBC Hiatus to Focus on Other Projects

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow plans to take a hiatus lasting “several weeks” in order to focus on other projects she is working on as part of a broader content deal with NBCUniversal, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The anchor, who is the linchpin of the cable news outlet’s primetime schedule, is expected to tell viewers about her planned absence, which is slated to start Friday, during this evening’s broadcast. Ali Velshi is among the anchors who have filled in for MSNBC’s primetime anchors in the past, and Mehdi Hasan and Ayman Mohyeldin have both taken up 9 p.m. duties on Fridays, when Maddow is often off. Maddow struck a deal with NBCUniversal last year that calls for her to put more of her attention on to a mix of new media projects and other content.

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