MSNBC's Psaki struggles to fill Maddow's lofty shoes, trails CNN in key demo through two months in new slot
Psaki, the press secretary for former President Joe Biden — who has insisted she never witnessed signs of decline while she worked for him — saw an increased role as part of MSNBC's overhaul when programming changes were announced earlier this year.
Psaki took over MSNBC's coveted 9 p.m. ET timeslot on Tuesday through Fridays in May as "The Rachel Maddow Show" returned to only airing on Mondays. Maddow had temporarily returned to airing five nights a week during President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office.
"The Briefing with Jen Psaki" averaged 1.1 million total viewers from its May 6 debut through July 3, losing 44% of the 1.8 million that Maddow – and a few January shows hosted by Alex Wagner – pulled in at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday through Fridays throughout 2025.
Psaki wasn't expected to compete with Maddow, who is MSNBC's biggest star by a wide margin, from a ratings standpoint off the bat. However, "Alex Wagner Tonight," which aired in the 9 p.m. ET timeslot on Tuesday through Fridays throughout 2024, also topped Psaki.
"Alex Wagner Tonight" averaged 1.2 million total viewers from May 6 through July 3 last year, which is 17% more than Psaki's 2025 viewership.
Psaki also shed "Alex Wagner Tonight" viewers among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, as "The Briefing" has averaged only 90,000 viewers from the critical group.
Last year, "Alex Wagner Tonight" averaged 123,000 demo viewers from May 6 through July 3. But MSNBC aired three primetime specials during that time and Maddow's presence on the panel shows significantly boosted "Alex Wagner Tonight" ratings among both total viewers and the demo.
Through two months, Psaki has drawn less than half the audience of Fox News Channel's 9 p.m. ET offering, "Hannity," which has averaged 2.9 million viewers since May 6. Psaki has managed to thump timeslot competition on ratings-challenged CNN among total viewers, as "The Source with Kaitlan Collins" has averaged a dismal 543,000 viewers since "The Briefing" debuted on MSNBC.
However, the former Biden press secretary is trailing CNN in the key demo.
"The Source with Kaitlan Collins" outdrew MSNBC's "The Briefing" by managing 108,000 demo viewers on Tuesdays through Fridays since Psaki moved to 9 p.m. ET.
Fox News' "Hannity" averaged 344,000 demo viewers during the same time period.
Psaki also trails cable news competitors among younger viewers aged 18-49, averaging 62,000 compared to 219,000 for "Hannity" and 70,000 for CNN's "The Source."
MSNBC insiders point to "The Briefing" being the network's No. 3 most-watched daily program despite only being on-air for two months as a sign that Psaki will find success at 9 p.m. ET.
"The Briefing" has built on the audience of its lead-in, "All in with Chris Hayes," which "Alex Wagner Tonight" failed to do in 2024. This has occurred as MSNBC has lost viewers overall.
Psaki improved in her second month in the timeslot, as "The Briefing" averaged 973,000 total viewers in May compared to a smidge over one million in June for an 8% uptick and gained 17% in the demo. Despite the loss to CNN, "The Briefing" is MSNBC's No. 2 program in the demo, while Wagner's show was the network's eighth best in the critical category during the same time period last year.
Psaki served as Biden's first press secretary from January 2021 until May 2022, and her defense of the White House made her popular with MSNBC progressives before she landed at the network. CNN also had discussions about bringing her on board.
The launch of "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" coincided with a news cycle that wasn't particularly flattering for former Biden officials, as anticipation for the book "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," put questions about Biden's fitness for office at the forefront.
It remains to be seen if Psaki can fill the shoes of Maddow, but the latter certainly hurt MSNBC by deciding "The Rachel Maddow Show" would only air on Mondays.
Ratings data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.
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