MSNBC has parted ways with anchor Greta Van Susteren after just six months on air, as her show failed to live up to the network's ratings expectations.
An MSNBC executive said the decision to remove the former Fox News host was purely for business reasons, based on ratings.
"MSNBC and Greta Van Susteren have decided to part ways. Greta is a well-regarded television veteran and one of only a few broadcasters who can say they’ve hosted shows at all three major cable news networks. We are grateful to her and wish her the best,” MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in a memo to staff on Thursday afternoon. "Please join me in wishing Greta well as she departs. We have enjoyed having her on our air and we’re thankful to her and the show team.”
Ari Melber, MSNBC’s chief legal correspondent, host of “The Point” on the weekends and a regular fill-in for prime-time shows, will now be the permanent host in the 6 p.m. time slot occupied by Van Susteren.
Reached by phone, Van Susteren declined to comment. Just as Vanity Fair broke the news of the show ending, Van Susteren tweeted “I am out at MSNBC.” Her husband and agent, John Coale, told CNN they were notified Thursday morning.
An MSNBC executive speaking on background called the split “amicable,” saying that they tried to support the show but that the numbers “weren’t there.”
MSNBC has seen significant gains in ratings for its prime-time lineup, especially in the coveted advertising demo of 25- to 54-year-olds. The 6 p.m. hour is an important segue into prime time. With MSNBC experiencing a ratings boom for the shows hosted by Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell, there was a concern that Van Susteren's low numbers were hurting those shows, the executive said.
The executive said they had worked with Van Susteren for some time to help bring up the show’s low performance but nothing seemed to catch on.
Van Susteren, a former lawyer, joined MSNBC after 14 years with Fox News, from which she was similarly taken off the air without a chance to say goodbye. Her MSNBC show broadcast out of a newly built studio in Washington where she was known to attract both Republicans and Democrats to her show for wonky discussion about policy and politics.
Van Susteren’s last show was on Wednesday evening. Melber takes over in July.
An MSNBC executive said the decision to remove the former Fox News host was purely for business reasons, based on ratings.
"MSNBC and Greta Van Susteren have decided to part ways. Greta is a well-regarded television veteran and one of only a few broadcasters who can say they’ve hosted shows at all three major cable news networks. We are grateful to her and wish her the best,” MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in a memo to staff on Thursday afternoon. "Please join me in wishing Greta well as she departs. We have enjoyed having her on our air and we’re thankful to her and the show team.”
Ari Melber, MSNBC’s chief legal correspondent, host of “The Point” on the weekends and a regular fill-in for prime-time shows, will now be the permanent host in the 6 p.m. time slot occupied by Van Susteren.
Reached by phone, Van Susteren declined to comment. Just as Vanity Fair broke the news of the show ending, Van Susteren tweeted “I am out at MSNBC.” Her husband and agent, John Coale, told CNN they were notified Thursday morning.
An MSNBC executive speaking on background called the split “amicable,” saying that they tried to support the show but that the numbers “weren’t there.”
MSNBC has seen significant gains in ratings for its prime-time lineup, especially in the coveted advertising demo of 25- to 54-year-olds. The 6 p.m. hour is an important segue into prime time. With MSNBC experiencing a ratings boom for the shows hosted by Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell, there was a concern that Van Susteren's low numbers were hurting those shows, the executive said.
The executive said they had worked with Van Susteren for some time to help bring up the show’s low performance but nothing seemed to catch on.
Van Susteren, a former lawyer, joined MSNBC after 14 years with Fox News, from which she was similarly taken off the air without a chance to say goodbye. Her MSNBC show broadcast out of a newly built studio in Washington where she was known to attract both Republicans and Democrats to her show for wonky discussion about policy and politics.
Van Susteren’s last show was on Wednesday evening. Melber takes over in July.
Greta Van Susteren FIRED by MSNBC six months after joining the network: Host is axed just a few hours before she was set to go live on air
Greta Van Susteren has been fired by MSNBC, with the network axing the popular television personality just six months after she joined the NBC News team. The no-nonsense commentator shared the news on Twitter Thursday afternoon by simply writing: 'I am out at MSNBC.' Van Susteren, 63, only learned the news on Thursday morning, while she was busy preparing for her show later that day. 'They let her go,' her husband and manager John Coale told CNNMoney . 'We're working out contract issues now.'
- MSNBC fired Greta Van Susteren on Thursday, six months after she joined the network following the end of her 14-year career with Fox News
- The no-nonsense commentator shared the news on Twitter Thursday afternoon by simply writing: 'I am out at MSNBC'
- Van Susteren, 63, learned the news on Thursday afternoon while prepping her show, and was told that her taping on Wednesday had been her final appearance
- Ari Melber will be taking over for Van Susteren in the 6pm hour, a major promotion for the network's Chief Legal Analyst
- Van Susteren struggled to pull past her CNN and Fox News competitors but was up 59 percent in total viewers and 74 percent in the key demo year-over-year
- The news came on the same day that their was an outpouring of support for the network after President Trump's vitriolic attack on host Mika Brzezinski
Greta Van Susteren has been fired by MSNBC, with the network axing the popular television personality just six months after she joined the NBC News team.
The no-nonsense commentator shared the news on Twitter by simply writing: 'I am out at MSNBC.'
Van Susteren, 63, only learned the news on Thursday afternoon, while she was busy preparing for her show later that day.
'They let her go,' her husband and manager John Coale told CNNMoney.
'We're working out contract issues now.'
Van Susteren will not appear on the network again, and Chief Legal Analyst Ari Melber will be taking over for her in the 6pm hour.
This will be Melber's first time serving as host of a show on the network.
The no-nonsense commentator shared the news on Twitter by simply writing: 'I am out at MSNBC.'
Van Susteren, 63, only learned the news on Thursday afternoon, while she was busy preparing for her show later that day.
'They let her go,' her husband and manager John Coale told CNNMoney.
'We're working out contract issues now.'
Van Susteren will not appear on the network again, and Chief Legal Analyst Ari Melber will be taking over for her in the 6pm hour.
This will be Melber's first time serving as host of a show on the network.
'MSNBC and Greta Van Susteren have decided to part ways,'aid network head Phil Griffin in an internal memo on Thursday.
'Greta is a well-regarded television veteran and one of only a few broadcasters who can say they've hosted shows at all three major cable news networks.'
He then added: 'We are grateful to her and wish her the best.'
The move comes on the same day that President Trump targeted a female member of the network in an unprecedented personal attack, even by his standards.
The commander-in-chief viciously tore into Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski for speaking ill of him on her show and in a recent music video she made with fiance and co-host Joe Scarborough.
'I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!' wrote President Trump.
The tweet came shortly after Brzezinski called President Trump a 'proven liar.'
'Greta is a well-regarded television veteran and one of only a few broadcasters who can say they've hosted shows at all three major cable news networks.'
He then added: 'We are grateful to her and wish her the best.'
The move comes on the same day that President Trump targeted a female member of the network in an unprecedented personal attack, even by his standards.
The commander-in-chief viciously tore into Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski for speaking ill of him on her show and in a recent music video she made with fiance and co-host Joe Scarborough.
'I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!' wrote President Trump.
The tweet came shortly after Brzezinski called President Trump a 'proven liar.'
Two of the three conservative voices on the network, Scarborough and Nicolle Wallace, quickly came to Brzezinski's defense in the wake of the vicious and vitriolic attack.
'As a former communications director, there’s a single press strategy for this White House: It’s called an apology,' said Wallace while appearing on the air on Thursday afternoon.
'As a woman who was fortunate enough to work in the White House as a public servant, all of the women collecting paychecks from the U.S. taxpayers, Dina Powell, Kellyanne Conway, Elaine Chow, Betsy DeVos, you should all go on the record and condemn your boss's comments, and you should work behind the scenes to educate him about just how offensive they are.'
Wallace did not however include the First Daughter in her remarks, perhaps still being of the belief that the children of the president should be off the table as a result of her years working for George W. Bush.
His twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, did not have jobs in the White House however working for their father's administration.
Scarborough meanwhile retweeted a communications exec at NBC to get his point across, posting Mark Kornblau's tweet that read: 'Never imagined a day when I would think to myself, "it is beneath my dignity to respond to the President of the United States."'
The only other conservative on the network, Van Susteren, said nothing about the comments.
Van Susteren's ousting also came on the same day that her former Fox News colleagues signed a long-term deal to stay on at the network, where she is now one of the most valued and recognized primetime players.
And, in another stroke of luck for executives, it happened on a week when Megyn Kelly is off the air, meaning that reports rehashing the pair's past problems at Fox News will have died down by early next week.
'As a former communications director, there’s a single press strategy for this White House: It’s called an apology,' said Wallace while appearing on the air on Thursday afternoon.
'As a woman who was fortunate enough to work in the White House as a public servant, all of the women collecting paychecks from the U.S. taxpayers, Dina Powell, Kellyanne Conway, Elaine Chow, Betsy DeVos, you should all go on the record and condemn your boss's comments, and you should work behind the scenes to educate him about just how offensive they are.'
Wallace did not however include the First Daughter in her remarks, perhaps still being of the belief that the children of the president should be off the table as a result of her years working for George W. Bush.
His twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, did not have jobs in the White House however working for their father's administration.
Scarborough meanwhile retweeted a communications exec at NBC to get his point across, posting Mark Kornblau's tweet that read: 'Never imagined a day when I would think to myself, "it is beneath my dignity to respond to the President of the United States."'
The only other conservative on the network, Van Susteren, said nothing about the comments.
Van Susteren's ousting also came on the same day that her former Fox News colleagues signed a long-term deal to stay on at the network, where she is now one of the most valued and recognized primetime players.
And, in another stroke of luck for executives, it happened on a week when Megyn Kelly is off the air, meaning that reports rehashing the pair's past problems at Fox News will have died down by early next week.
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Gine too far: The commander-in-chief viciously tore into Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski for speaking ill of him on her show
Timing: President Trump's tweets (above) came shortly after Brzezinski called him a 'proven liar'
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An adult speaks: 'As a former communications director, there’s a single press strategy for this White House: It’s called an apology,' said Nicole Wallace of President trump's comment
Van Susteren had just come off a 14-year run at Fox News at the time that she joined MSNBC, electing to leave her former network in the wake of the Roger Ailes scandal.
She had hoped to stay on for a few extra weeks after giving her notice, but was told soon after that she was to be taken off the air immediately.
The news that Van Susteren had landed a job at MSNBC was a big deal, as it gave her the cable news hat trick, having previously hosted programs on CNN and Fox News.
Her Washington DC-based news hour was called 'For The Record' on MSNBC, similar in name to her Fox News show, which had been called 'On the Record.'
MSNBC has been posting strong numbers over the past few months, particularly in the key demos.
Van Susteren's show failed to move past its CNN and Fox News rivals however in the 6pm hour, where it was up against 'The Situation Room' and 'Special Report with Bret Baier.'
That being said, it was still pulling in phenomenal numbers by comparison for the network.
In her first quarter with the network, Van Susteren's show was up 59 percent in total viewers and and even more impressive 74 percent in the all-important adults 25 - 54 demo.
Those numbers were also well above the network average, which was up 55 percent in total viewers and 40 percent in the demo.
A lawyer, Van Susteren got her start in television for CNN analyzing the O.J. Simpson's trial, and that evolved into a regular role.
She abruptly quit after 14 years as a primetime anchor at Fox News in November, saying that the network 'has not felt like home to me for a few years.'
The news that she was departing the network came soon after former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson's received a reported $20 million settlement in her harassment lawsuit against deposed Fox News chief Roger Ailes.
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Then and now: Megyn Kelly (left), who reportedly had issues with Van Susteren at Fox news, does not have a show this week at NBC; Kimberly Guilfoyle (right) signed a long-term contract with Fox News it was annnounced just hours before Van Susteren's firing
Van Susteren had discredited Gretchen's claims against Ailes in an interview with People soon after she filed her complaint in court.
'People come to me because I've been there so long,' said Van Susteren.
'That's why this doesn't have any ring of truth to me. I would have heard it. People don't keep things silent.'
And while she does not defend Ailes in the interview, she does make it very clear that she is siding with her boss and not the alleged victim.
Van Susteren also described Gretchen as 'a disgruntled employee' and said that after seeing that Gretchen's show had been cancelled she, as a lawyer, 'thought she got angry.'
She then added: 'I deal with Roger Ailes often. I've often been alone with Roger Ailes in his office over the course of 15 years and I've never seen anything like what I'm reading about in the papers and the magazine.'
Later in the interview Van Susteren painted Gretchen as ungrateful, saying 'most people, man or woman, would give anything to have had the air time [Carlson] had on Fox & Friends.'
She then called her move from the channel's popular morning show to her own mid-afternoon program a 'huge promotion'
Van Susteren closed out the interview by saying: 'If Roger Ailes were how he's described, there's no way I would've stuck around. I don't feel like putting up with that stuff and I wouldn't.
'Even if he weren't doing it to me, I wouldn't want to work in that environment. I sort of feel bad for Gretchen Carlson because it's sort of a weird thing that she's done.
'What she's alleging is something that is alien to me. I've never heard it.'
Van Susteren later defended her actions by saying in a statement: 'I did not defend Roger Ailes nor did I condemn him. I just stated what I knew or did not know. Period.'
She also stated why she believed it was acceptable for her to discredit Gretchen's claims in an interview - she never heard about the sexual harassment allegations, she never saw it and it never happened to her.
Van Susteren also said that her describing Gretchen as 'disgruntled' and 'angry' was acceptable because Gretchen had said she was 'unhappy' while talking with Van Susteren 'a few years back when we both happened to be in London covering the same story.'
She also pointed out that Gretchen never once mentioned anything about sexual harassment during that talk.
'What I said above was true when I said it …and it is true now,' said Van Susteren.
'In the meantime, all sorts of motives and intentions have been assigned to me.'
Van Susteren closed out her statement by saying she would never have kept quiet if she knew about any sexual harassment occurring in the workplace.
Ailes later stepped down as CEO of the network when multiple women came forward to tells stories similar to Gretchen's, including Kelly.
She had hoped to stay on for a few extra weeks after giving her notice, but was told soon after that she was to be taken off the air immediately.
The news that Van Susteren had landed a job at MSNBC was a big deal, as it gave her the cable news hat trick, having previously hosted programs on CNN and Fox News.
Her Washington DC-based news hour was called 'For The Record' on MSNBC, similar in name to her Fox News show, which had been called 'On the Record.'
MSNBC has been posting strong numbers over the past few months, particularly in the key demos.
Van Susteren's show failed to move past its CNN and Fox News rivals however in the 6pm hour, where it was up against 'The Situation Room' and 'Special Report with Bret Baier.'
That being said, it was still pulling in phenomenal numbers by comparison for the network.
In her first quarter with the network, Van Susteren's show was up 59 percent in total viewers and and even more impressive 74 percent in the all-important adults 25 - 54 demo.
Those numbers were also well above the network average, which was up 55 percent in total viewers and 40 percent in the demo.
A lawyer, Van Susteren got her start in television for CNN analyzing the O.J. Simpson's trial, and that evolved into a regular role.
She abruptly quit after 14 years as a primetime anchor at Fox News in November, saying that the network 'has not felt like home to me for a few years.'
The news that she was departing the network came soon after former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson's received a reported $20 million settlement in her harassment lawsuit against deposed Fox News chief Roger Ailes.
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Then and now: Megyn Kelly (left), who reportedly had issues with Van Susteren at Fox news, does not have a show this week at NBC; Kimberly Guilfoyle (right) signed a long-term contract with Fox News it was annnounced just hours before Van Susteren's firing
Van Susteren had discredited Gretchen's claims against Ailes in an interview with People soon after she filed her complaint in court.
'People come to me because I've been there so long,' said Van Susteren.
'That's why this doesn't have any ring of truth to me. I would have heard it. People don't keep things silent.'
And while she does not defend Ailes in the interview, she does make it very clear that she is siding with her boss and not the alleged victim.
Van Susteren also described Gretchen as 'a disgruntled employee' and said that after seeing that Gretchen's show had been cancelled she, as a lawyer, 'thought she got angry.'
She then added: 'I deal with Roger Ailes often. I've often been alone with Roger Ailes in his office over the course of 15 years and I've never seen anything like what I'm reading about in the papers and the magazine.'
Later in the interview Van Susteren painted Gretchen as ungrateful, saying 'most people, man or woman, would give anything to have had the air time [Carlson] had on Fox & Friends.'
She then called her move from the channel's popular morning show to her own mid-afternoon program a 'huge promotion'
Van Susteren closed out the interview by saying: 'If Roger Ailes were how he's described, there's no way I would've stuck around. I don't feel like putting up with that stuff and I wouldn't.
'Even if he weren't doing it to me, I wouldn't want to work in that environment. I sort of feel bad for Gretchen Carlson because it's sort of a weird thing that she's done.
'What she's alleging is something that is alien to me. I've never heard it.'
Van Susteren later defended her actions by saying in a statement: 'I did not defend Roger Ailes nor did I condemn him. I just stated what I knew or did not know. Period.'
She also stated why she believed it was acceptable for her to discredit Gretchen's claims in an interview - she never heard about the sexual harassment allegations, she never saw it and it never happened to her.
Van Susteren also said that her describing Gretchen as 'disgruntled' and 'angry' was acceptable because Gretchen had said she was 'unhappy' while talking with Van Susteren 'a few years back when we both happened to be in London covering the same story.'
She also pointed out that Gretchen never once mentioned anything about sexual harassment during that talk.
'What I said above was true when I said it …and it is true now,' said Van Susteren.
'In the meantime, all sorts of motives and intentions have been assigned to me.'
Van Susteren closed out her statement by saying she would never have kept quiet if she knew about any sexual harassment occurring in the workplace.
Ailes later stepped down as CEO of the network when multiple women came forward to tells stories similar to Gretchen's, including Kelly.
Word is that @Greta Van Susteren was let go by her out of control bosses at @NBC & @Comcast because she refused to go along w/ 'Trump hate!'
I can almost hear the convo between her and the brass...
Brass: you need to get on board and help us derail the Trump train
GVS: well, I like to keep things fair on my sh-
Brass: FAIR??
GVS: yes, I like to have both sides on my show to deba-
Brass: BOTH SIDES???
GVS: yes, you know have on a Democrat and a Republican so both sides have a chance to explain thei-
Brass: GIVE REPUBLICANS A CHANCE?
GVS: yes, I mean, I am a liberal but it serves the public better if we have both side-
Brass: then have an extreme Democrat and a moderate Democrat on instead and make sure they both slam Trump the whole segment.
GVS: I don't see how that would bring credibil-
Brass: you're fired
Brass: you need to get on board and help us derail the Trump train
GVS: well, I like to keep things fair on my sh-
Brass: FAIR??
GVS: yes, I like to have both sides on my show to deba-
Brass: BOTH SIDES???
GVS: yes, you know have on a Democrat and a Republican so both sides have a chance to explain thei-
Brass: GIVE REPUBLICANS A CHANCE?
GVS: yes, I mean, I am a liberal but it serves the public better if we have both side-
Brass: then have an extreme Democrat and a moderate Democrat on instead and make sure they both slam Trump the whole segment.
GVS: I don't see how that would bring credibil-
Brass: you're fired
