Story perspectives

Alex Witt Exits MS NOW; Antonia Hylton Takes Weekend Slot

6/27/2026

Summary

Alex Witt Departs

Alex Witt will leave MS NOW, ending “The Weekend: Primetime” on June 27, 2026, and weekend broadcasts on June 28, 2026.
Antonia Hylton will take Witt’s 1 p.m.–4 p.m. weekend slot and anchor 11 a.m. weekday hour before Peter Alexander.
Weekend co-hosts Ayman Mohyeldin, Catherine Rampell and Elise Jordan will stay while MS NOW adds taped podcasts.
President Rebecca Kutler said the shift will cause minimal job losses and invited staff to apply for 40 openings.

Summary

Crooked Media Boosts

Crooked Media’s partnership delivered strongest debut for an MS NOW series in three years and best demo launch in four years.
Half of Saturday-night viewers were new to MS NOW, with two-thirds under age 55, while staff cuts will affect 2% of employees and nearly 40 openings will be posted soon.
About 20 hours of live weekend programming will remain, with the breaking-news team expanded to interrupt taped shows during events.

Summary

Antonia Hylton Anchors

Antonia Hylton, a Peabody, Murrow and Emmy award-winning journalist, will anchor the network’s weekend 1 p.m.–4 p.m. slot after the summer.
Antonia Hylton’s series “Cities Under Siege” was cited as evidence of Antonia Hylton’s standout reporting.
Joy Fowlin, formerly executive producer of The Weekend: Primetime, will serve as executive producer of Antonia Hylton’s new weekend program.
The network said Antonia Hylton’s credibility, versatility and audience connection drove the appointment.

History

Historical Context

MS NOW’s 2026 weekend swap of Alex Witt for Antonia Hylton builds on a shift that started when MSNBC launched The Rachel Maddow Show in September 2008, raising primetime ratings 61 percent. After the 2025 rebrand to MS NOW under president Rebecca Kutler and a $20 million “We the People” campaign, the network partnered with Crooked Media and overhauled its lineup to draw younger viewers.

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Alex Witt Departs

Alex Witt will leave MS NOW, ending “The Weekend: Primetime” on June 27, 2026, and weekend broadcasts on June 28, 2026.
Antonia Hylton will take Witt’s 1 p.m.–4 p.m. weekend slot and anchor 11 a.m. weekday hour before Peter Alexander.
Weekend co-hosts Ayman Mohyeldin, Catherine Rampell and Elise Jordan will stay while MS NOW adds taped podcasts.
President Rebecca Kutler said the shift will cause minimal job losses and invited staff to apply for 40 openings.

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