Rachel Maddow returns to MSNBC five nights a week for Trump’s first 100 days

Rachel Maddow is returning to the anchor chair five nights a week.

Rachel Maddow is returning to the anchor chair five nights a week. The MSNBC prime time star is expanding her on-air presence for the first 100 days of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, the network announced Monday, injecting what may be a much-needed ratings boost into the progressive outlet’s lineup. Maddow’s show, MSNBC’s highest rated program, has only aired once a week since 2022 when she stepped away to focus on other projects, including films, books and podcasts. Her temporary return to the anchor desk weeknights at 9 p.m. ET will see Alex Wagner, who currently anchors the timeslot Tuesday through Friday, deployed on special assignment to cover the impact of the president-elect’s policies. Starting next week, Wagner’s coverage will be featured across MSNBC’s shows and platforms, the network said. Maddow will also lead the network’s live special inauguration coverage on Jan. 20. “The moment we’re in requires us to cover the early days of the new administration from all over the country — from the nation’s capital, where policy is being implemented, to talking to those in key communities and constituencies impacted by those policies,” MSNBC President Rashida Jones said in a statement. “No one is better equipped to bring those stories from the field to MSNBC viewers than our intrepid Alex Wagner.” In an interview with USA Today, Maddow said the decision to shuffle the network’s prime time schedule was made by Jones, adding that Wagner “has been itching to get out there in the country and to cover what’s coming and the impact of what Trump is going to do in the second term on the ground, from a front-line perspective.” After the 100-day window, there will be a “hard stop,” Maddow said, with both returning to their previous schedules.