MSNBC Ratings Struggle as Psaki’s New Show Falters and Wallace Faces Backlash
Even some Democrats appear to be growing weary of the steady stream of partisan commentary on liberal-leaning cable news.
According to a report from Fox News, MSNBC’s new 9 p.m. show hosted by former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki got off to a rough start—after an initially strong debut.
With Rachel Maddow now only hosting on Monday nights, MSNBC tapped Psaki to take over the coveted 9 p.m. Eastern time slot Tuesday through Friday. Her premiere drew an impressive 1.2 million viewers, including 139,000 in the 25-54 age group, the key demographic advertisers target.
But by the second night, interest dropped significantly. Viewership fell to just over 1 million total, with only 65,000 in the 25-54 demo. By comparison, Maddow’s most recent Monday show pulled in 1.9 million viewers and 141,000 in the same demographic. That means Psaki lost nearly half of Maddow’s audience in both total viewers and key demo ratings.
Not only was Psaki’s show outperformed by every Fox News program in the same time slot, but she was also bested by 13 shows on CNN. Despite her primetime position, her ratings lagged behind reruns of popular sitcoms like Friends, Seinfeld, and Everybody Loves Raymond, as well as animated hits like Bob’s Burgers and Paw Patrol, Fox News noted.
In fact, Psaki’s show marked MSNBC’s lowest-rated 9 p.m. slot among the key demo on a Wednesday since Alex Wagner drew only 40,000 viewers in December 2024.
Wallace’s Comments Spark Ratings Questions
Meanwhile, Nicolle Wallace, another prominent MSNBC figure, has been under fire following controversial comments about 13-year-old DJ Daniel—a young cancer patient honored by former President Donald Trump during a joint session of Congress.
During her coverage, Wallace wished Daniel a “long life” in law enforcement but added that she hoped he would never have to confront a violent insurrection like the one on January 6, implying a future threat from Trump supporters. She went further, referencing suicides among Capitol officers and suggesting the boy might one day have to testify against “seditious conspirators” pardoned by Trump.
Wallace made the remarks during a segment with Rachel Maddow, and while the moment drew attention, much of it was negative—especially from Trump and his supporters, who criticized the comments as politicized and insensitive.
Since Trump’s election win in November, Wallace’s show Deadline: White House has experienced a significant ratings drop. In early 2024, she was averaging 1.6 million viewers per episode. Post-election, that number fell to about 1 million—a 35% decline.
Among adults aged 25-54, her daily average has dropped from 144,000 to just 93,000, signaling to advertisers that her program’s influence with the most valuable audience segment is waning. According to Fox News, Wallace is now trailing not only her cable news competitors but also Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives and BET’s Tyler Perry’s Sistas in the demo.
A Broader Trend?
Both Psaki’s disappointing launch and Wallace’s post-election slide reflect a broader trend hitting MSNBC and other left-leaning media: a noticeable dip in engagement from liberal viewers following President Trump’s return to political prominence.
Whether the network can rebound—and how it plans to reconnect with its audience—remains to be seen.
