MSNBC President Rashida Jones steps down days before Trump returns to White House

MSNBC President Rashida Jones stepped down Tuesday after four years running the progressive political news network, as parent company Comcast Corp. prepares to spin off several of its cable-TV assets.

Rebecca Kutler, senior vice president of content strategy who was recruited by Jones in 2022, will serve as interim president effective immediately, according to an internal memo.

Jones, who made history as the first Black executive to head a major television network when she was appointed in 2021, said in a memo to staffers that she had decided to pursue new opportunities. Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, asked her to stay on for the next few months to help with the transition.

The shake-up at the top of MSNBC comes at a precarious time for the cable-TV industry, where ratings — already under pressure amid a viewer shift to streaming options — dropped in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election. On election night, total prime-time news viewership was down 25% from four years earlier, according to data from Nielsen, with Fox News the most-watched channel, followed by Walt Disney Co.’s ABC and MSNBC.

Lazarus is leading the spinoff of Comcast’s cable assets, which will also include CNBC, USA Network, E! and other channels. The new company will explore acquiring additional cable channels and creating its own streaming services. Comcast will retain the NBC news network, its Peacock streaming platform and Bravo.