MSNBC president Rashida Jones to step down
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“After four incredible years at the helm of MSNBC and 11 years at NBCU, I have made the decision to pursue new opportunities,” Jones shared in a memo to staff. Rashida Jones, the first Black executive to helm a major television network, announced on Tuesday that she would be stepping down as president of MSNBC, the progressive news channel she has led since 2021.
Jones first shared the news of her departure with the network’s anchors on Tuesday morning before addressing the staff in the daily editorial meeting. Rebecca Kutler, a former CNN executive who joined MSNBC in 2022 as senior vice president of content strategy, will serve as interim president. Kutler, who was poised to run CNN’s digital streaming service before it was suddenly scuttled, has largely been in charge of overseeing MSNBC’s dayside programming since her arrival.
Jones first shared the news of her exit with Mark Lazarus, a veteran NBC Universal executive who will be the chairman of SpinCo, the new company Comcast has spun off to house MSNBC and most of its other cable assets. Lazarus asked Jones to stay on to support the network through the transition.
“After four incredible years at the helm of MSNBC and 11 years at NBCU, I have made the decision to pursue new opportunities,” Jones shared in a memo to staff. “I shared this decision with Mark, who has been incredibly supportive and has asked me to stay on for the next few months to help guide the network during this transitional period.”.
She added: “I came to this decision over the holidays while reflecting on our remarkable journey and the many successes we’ve achieved together as a team. This has been the most rewarding chapter of my professional career and I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished, which has been made possible only by you.”.
