“THE WEEKNIGHT” TO DEBUT TONIGHT ON MSNBC AT 7 P.M. ET
Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez Join MSNBC’s Primetime Lineup Five Nights a Week
Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Rep. Jamie Raskin, and More Join Tonight’s Show
(New York – May 5, 2025) – Tonight, MSNBC will debut “The Weeknight,” co-hosted by Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez, airing from 7 to 9 p.m. ET. In the new debut episode, the co-hosts will speak with Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D-Mich.), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), and more.
The move to primetime follows the trio co-hosting the network’s marquee weekend program, “The Weekend,” since January 2024. Since its launch, Sanders Townsend, Steele, and Menendez have covered some of the most consequential moments in American politics together on “The Weekend,” including the 2024 presidential election and breaking news moments from around the world.
The trio will now join the ranks of fellow MSNBC primetime hosts Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber, Chris Hayes, Lawrence O’Donnell, Stephanie Ruhle, and Jen Psaki, who will also expand her primetime role starting Tuesday, May 6 as she helms the 9 p.m. ET hour Tuesdays through Fridays.
Of the launch of their primetime show, “The Weeknight” hosts told Vanity Fair:
“The mission of MSNBC remains the same, regardless of who’s in office—lead with the facts, share context. We are covering this administration without fear, without favor, and with a lot of coffee,” said Menendez.
“We’re going to ask the questions to the newsmakers and the people that are at our table to see what they think and try to tease this conversation out, but also, let’s take it a step further,” said Sanders Townsend.
“We try to help people understand what’s happening right now and give it context historically, politically, socially, culturally, and with some humor and seriousness and all that’s required to have a good conversation,” said Steele.
In an interview with Baltimore Magazine, Steele also shared, “It’s opinion, it’s analysis, it’s news. When you look at the three of us and how we complement each other … it gives us perspective to share an opinion, to give analysis, to deliver straight news.”
Watch “The Weeknight” from 7 to 9 p.m. ET on Mondays and from 7 to 8 p.m. ET on Tuesdays through Fridays on MSNBC.
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PR Contact:
Natalie Munio
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