Mehdi Hasan is exiting MSNBC.
The anchor, who has hosted “The Mehdi Hasan Show” since 2020, announced while on-air Sunday he would be leaving the network amid the cancellation of his show.
“As we begin 2024, with an election coming, a war still ongoing, and too many Trump trials honestly to even keep track of, and with this show going away, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to look for a new challenge,” Hasan said Sunday. “Tonight is not just my final episode of ‘The Mehdi Hasan Show.’ It’s my last day with MSNBC.”
“Yes, I’ve decided to leave,” he continued. “To be clear, I am so, so proud of what we’ve achieved on this show on this network, and I can’t thank you enough for tuning in and for your support, and for your feedback. But as they say, new year, new plans.”
Hasan similarly announced his departure on X. While he refrained from sharing more about his future plans on-air, he told viewers to keep up with his social media accounts to learn what’s next for him.
The axing of the “The Mehdi Hasan Show” by the left-leaning network came in late November, as a new ensemble program “The Weekend” was announced to replace it in January. Hosted by anchors Alicia Menendez, Symone Sanders-Townsend, and Michael Steele from Saturdays and Sundays from 8 to 10 a.m. ET, “The Weekend” is set to premiere on Saturday, Jan. 13.
Mehdi’s hour will be led by Ayman Mohyeldin beginning next week as Mohyeldin expands his show to four hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
At the time, plans were made for Hasan to remain at the network as a political analyst and occasional fill-in host. He clearly chose not to stay.
Following the show’s cancellation, the network faced backlash, with many pointing to the lack of Muslim anchors on the network.
In addition to hosting “The Mehdi Hasan Show,” which aired Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on MSNBC on Peacock, Hasan also served as a political analyst for MSNBC.
