MSNBC plans to move Stephanie Ruhle to the 11 PM slot, replacing Brian Williams, who hosted The 11th Hour until his departure in December, according to network sources.
Ruhle has been anchoring the 9 AM hour, and plans are for that time slot to be filled by an expanded edition of Morning Joe.
Ruhle joined the network in 2016 and has been NBC News senior business correspondent in addition to her anchoring duties. She previously was the news anchor for Bloomberg News. Axios first reported the news of her move.
Morning Joe has been one of MSNBC’s signature programs since its debut in 2007, particularly influential in the New York and D.C. political-media mix, and it has topped CNN’s morning show in the ratings.
The changes are among the most significant at the network since Rashida Jones became president almost one year ago. She recently signed on Symone Sanders, former spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris, to host on weekends and on the Peacock streaming channel The Choice from MSNBC. No announcement has been made about Rachel Maddow’s plans. Although she signed a multi-year deal with MSNBC, she reportedly wants to scale back her nightly schedule.
Williams made the surprise announcement in November that he would leave the network at the end of his contract in December. His show, which debuted in 2016, gained a following with its mix of journalists’ analysis and Williams’ wit. The show topped the timeslot among the cable news networks, but Fox News more recently has been No. 1 with Gutfeld!
Ruhle also had hosted the daytime Velshi & Ruhle with Ali Velshi. Although that show ended in early 2020, Ruhle added senior business correspondent duties, expanding her profile to NBC News as well.
