MSNBC has allegedly decided to cancel anchor Mehdi Hasan’s weekend prime-time talk show, citing a significant decline in ratings, particularly after he expressed anti-Israel views. A source from the network confirmed to the New York Post that MSNBC has been aggressively reducing costs and has decided to discontinue Hasan’s show.
“I think they thought (Hasan’s) point of view was a little too out of the mainstream, if you know what I mean,” the source told the Post.
Some of his crazed remarks were caught on video which has recently resurfaced, leading many to be outraged that such a person could have a prominent prime-time show:
Hasan will retain his role as an on-camera analyst and fill-in host. MSNBC President Rashida Jones informed staff in a memo that the changes are part of a broader strategy to overhaul the weekend lineup leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
“As Decision 2024 ramps up, the show will provide thoughtful analysis and coverage on the state of our country from three trusted voices familiar to the MSNBC audience,” Jones said.
Recently, Semafor reported that MSNBC had sidelined its Muslim hosts amid controversy over their anti-Israel views, a claim that the network has refuted.
“MSNBC has quietly taken three of its Muslim broadcasters out of the anchor’s chair since Hamas’s attack on Israel last Saturday amid America’s wave of sympathy for Israeli terror victims.
Some staff at MSNBC have been concerned by the moves, feeling all three hosts have some of the deepest knowledge of the conflict. NBC says the shifts are coincidental, and the three continue to appear on air to report and provide analysis.
A company official vehemently pushed back against any notion that either Hasan or Mohyeldin were being sidelined in any way. Over the past several days, Mohyeldin has appeared on several programs on MSNBC as a guest including shows hosted by Reid and Chris Hayes.”
Hasan joined MSNBC in 2021 after an extensive career at Al Jazeera English. Following the tragic October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, Hasan promoted several far-left narratives, including the unfounded claim that “Israel was responsible for the deadly strike on al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza” and suggested a comparison between Israel’s incursion into Gaza and Russia invading Ukraine, as reported by the New York Post.
“On Nov. 16, Hasan got into a tense on-air spat with Israeli government adviser Mark Regev, who pushed back on the MSNBC host after he argued that Israel rejected a deal that would have seen hostages released before its retaliatory military strikes in Gaza,” it added.
The anchor’s ratings have been freefalling over the past two months.