MSNBC chief Rashida Jones steps down as network prepares for spinoff

Source: CNN Business

Updated 10:22 AM EST, Tue January 14, 2025



Rashida Jones speaks at the 2023 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills.
Mike Blake/Reuters


New York CNN — Rashida Jones is stepping down as president of MSNBC and one of her top lieutenants, Rebecca Kutler, is taking over as interim network president. The change atop the progressive news network comes as its corporate parent, Comcast, prepares to spin off MSNBC and other cable channels into a separate publicly traded company.

Mark Lazarus, the future CEO of the spin-off, said in a Tuesday morning memo that Jones had “expertly navigated MSNBC through a years-long, unrelenting and unprecedented news cycle, all while driving the network to record viewership and making investments in nonlinear businesses.” Now, Lazarus said, he will collaborate with Kutler “as we shape our collective future together.”

Among the looming questions: Will MSNBC alter its approach to political coverage as President-elect Donald Trump regains power? Once the spinoff takes effect, will the network move out of its iconic Rockefeller Center office space? Jones’ decision to leave resolves one of the other questions that has been looming over the network. Oliver Darcy of Status reported last month that she was mulling an exit in early 2025.

Jones took charge around the same time four years ago, reflecting the fact that TV news transitions often coincide with presidential election and inauguration cycles. Jones was a historic pick – the first Black person to run a major television news network. She recruited new hosts like Jen Psaki and prioritized digital expansions of the MSNBC brand. In 2022, she hired Kutler from CNN.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/14/media/rashida-jones-msnbc-exit/index.html