NBC Drops Ronna McDaniel as Host

Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has been dropped by NBC News after fierce backlash from several prominent on-air personalities.

The network reversed its hiring decision on Tuesday after MSNBC hosts including Rachel Maddow, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Lawrence O'Donnell and Nicolle Wallace all voiced their strong disapproval of the hiring within days of it being announced.

McDaniel was hired on Friday to provide political analysis on MSNBC and NBC as the November presidential election approaches. She left her position at the RNC earlier this month following a request for new leadership from former President Donald Trump.

The Context

McDaniel announced her resignation from the RNC in February following months of pressure from Trump and followers of his MAGA movement. Her hiring by NBC on Friday was met with condemnation from both sides of the political aisle, although criticism from the network's hosts seemingly resulted in her abrupt dismissal.

Prior to making her debut on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, the network faced calls for a boycott over the hiring. Many critics voiced outrage over McDaniel having boosted Trump's unproven claims of a "stolen" 2020 election, a position that she appeared to reverse during the interview by conceding that President Joe Biden won "fair and square."

Criticism from NBC and MSNBC personalities continually ramped up over the four days that McDaniel was associated with the organization. Top-rated MSNBC host Maddow said on Monday night that she found the hiring "inexplicable" and hoped that NBC bosses would "reverse their decision."

What We Know

NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde announced the decision to drop McDaniel on Tuesday in a staff memo, citing what he said were "the legitimate concerns" of network employees and apologizing for a "difficult" few days since the announcement was made.

"I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor," Conde wrote. "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."

"I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down," he added. "While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it."

Conde went on to say that the initial decision to hire McDaniel "was made because of our deep commitment to presenting our audiences with a widely diverse set of viewpoints and experiences," while also promising to "redouble our efforts to seek voices that represent different parts of the political spectrum."

Views

Newsweek reached out for comment to NBC News via email on Tuesday night.

Morning Joe host Scarborough opened his show on Monday morning by attacking McDaniel and vehemently expressing his objection to her hiring, while co-host Brzezinski accused her of using a "position of power to be an anti-democracy election denier."

Former Meet the Press host Chuck Todd expressed concerns about McDaniel's new job on Sunday, citing her "credibility issues" and accusing her of spending six years at the RNC "gaslighting" political opponents and engaging in "character assassination."

During O'Donnell's broadcast on Monday night, the host denounced McDaniel—the niece of Republican senator and former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney—for having changed her name "to curry favor with a madman," referring to Trump's longstanding feud with Romney.

Former Fox News host and current NewsNation correspondent Geraldo Rivera, however, lashed out at the critics for engaging in what he called a "tsunami of pretentious bulls***," arguing that McDaniel was a good hire because she is "the ultimate insider" for Republicans.

What's Next?

McDaniel's next move is unclear. She had not publicly weighed in on NBC's decision at the time of publication and could not be reached for comment.

In addition to being fired by NBC on Tuesday, McDaniel was also reportedly dropped by Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which brokered her deal with the network shortly after leaving the RNC, according to The Hollywood Reporter.