NBC officially ousts Ronna McDaniel after days of controversy, on-air bashings from other talent

After days of public bashings from its own on-air personalities, NBC News has announced it has cut ties with former RNC chief Ronna McDaniel.

Puck News was first to report that NBC was likely to let her go. 

NBC announced it had hired McDaniel Friday, March 22, 2024, to serve as a paid contributor. She appeared on “Meet the Press” Sunday, March 24, 2024, in that role.

Soon after her hiring, both behind-the-scenes and on-air NBC News staffers began expressing their outrage at her hiring due to her public support of Donald Trump’s false election misinformation in the past, a stance she had slightly walked back on in the time leading up to her NBC News hiring.

Multiple on-air anchors voiced their concern over the hire on both NBC and MSNBC’s own airwaves, including former “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd, appearing on the same show just minutes after McDaniel’s segment aired.

Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Joy Reid, Nicolle Wallace and Jen Psaki would later join with their own on-air commetns.

NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde made the news of McDaniel’s departure official in a memo March 26, 2024.

“No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal,” Conde wrote.

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Conde noted the organization remains dedicated to featuring a diverse set of voices from all over the political spectrum. 

According to multiple reports, MSNBC President Rashida Jones and other key NBC management signed off on McDaniel’s hiring. One report called the decision among NBC News management “unanimous,” though it’s not clear how many people that entailed. 

Separate reports indicate that after the hiring was announced, NBC said it would not use McDaniel on MSNBC, its cable news channel known for its progressive slant, but that wasn’t good enough for many.

After news that NBC was weighing her future, McDaniel had reportedly hired legal counsel, presumably to assist her with exit negotiations with NBC. According to a previous Puck News report, NBC was paying McDaniel six-figures per year.

An Associated Press report indicated the McDaniel learned that she had been axed via media reports, not directly from NBC. It is unclear if she was offered any type of exit package from the network. 

The reaction to NBC’s decision was quick.

Elon Musk posted “NBC caving in to the censors” on X, formerly Twitter. Trump himself wrote “These Radical Left Lunatics are CRAZY, and the top people at NBC ARE WEAK” on Truth Social.

“Fox & Friends” hosts, meanwhile, labeled NBC as “terrible colleagues” for the decision.

It’s not uncommon for news networks all of types to hire former political figures as paid analysts or contributors to appear on their programs, typically as one-on-one guests or to sit on roundtables as opposed to filing reports. 

These roles are typically paid on a per-appearance or guaranteed amount, and contributors and analysts often have other jobs with other companies or organizations. 

In these roles, part of their appeal is bringing their political perspective and experience to viewers, so it’s widely considered acceptable for reputable news organizations to make these hires. 

Historically, most networks hire people from a variety of viewpoints to provide counterpoints and stimulate debate.

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Like most networks, MSNBC employs multiple contributors and hosts with more conservative views, though none of them have been tied so closely to Trump’s misinformation campaigns as McDaniel.

Wallace, who anchors “Deadline: White House,” was a former communications director and campaign staffer for George W. Bush, a Republican. She also worked on Sen. John McCain’s 2008 campaign.

Scarborough, who co-anchors the network’s morning show, is a former Republican congressman for Florida.

Both Scarborough and Wallace have denounced the actions of the MAGA Republican movement and expressed their disapproval of Donald Trump and his administration. 

MSNBC also notably has Psaki, who was the first White House press secretary for President Joe Biden’s administration, on its payroll. She left that role and joined MSNBC as an analyst, though she has since been promoted to anchor her own show and primary election coverage for the network.

Psaki also has not be tied to any efforts to spread misinformation on behalf of Biden or his administration, though she is frequently the target of quasi-conspiracy theories, criticism and misinformation from conservative pundits and Trump surrogates.