CAMBRIDGE, MA - OCTOBER 16: Rachel Maddow speaks at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum in a program titled "Perspectives on National Security" moderated by Rachel Maddow on October 16, 2017 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images)
Following a major decrease in network ratings, longtime MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow has taken a huge pay cut so as to stay with the network.
Maddow’s renegotiated contract will reduce her annual salary from $30 million to $25 million; her new contract will not affect her Monday-night show or any podcasts and documentaries for the network.
Maddow joined the network as a political analyst in January 2008 and became a regular panelist on the Race for White House program with David Gregory. Later that year, the channel announced the Verdict with Dan Abrams’ at 9 p.m. would be replaced by The Rachel Maddow Show.
Maddow has since been described as “ratings Viagra” for MSNBC’s audience.
Her pay cut comes as MSNBC employees are in supposed “panic” following the network’s parent company Comcast’s announcement that it planned to spin off several NBCUniversal channels into a new company. Comcast’s vision, set in motion in late 2025, plans to create a new collective of networks called ‘SpinCo’, including MSNBC, CNBC, E!, Oxygen, Syfy and Golf Channel.
In the days after Donald Trump‘s victory, MSNBC’s ratings dropped by 54%, and since the election, the left-leaning network’s viewership has declined significantly, with a reported 40% dip in comparison to previous years.
Other popular anchors for MSNBC, such as Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski have recently ignited controversy for meeting with Trump, after years of harsh criticism.
An executive explained Maddow’s impact on the network to The Ankler: “This is a difficult time, and they needed to keep her. No one else can do what she does. You can’t build a brand like it overnight.”
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