NBC News has cut ties with former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel just days after announcing her as a paid political analyst, following intense backlash from the network's top television anchors over McDaniel's role in subverting the 2020 election and her attacks on the press. The decision, announced by NBCUniversal News Group President Cesar Conde in a memo to staff on Tuesday, comes as McDaniel also parted ways with her talent agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
"After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor," Conde wrote in the memo. "I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down. While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it."
The reversal follows a stunning and unprecedented on-air rebuke of network brass by journalists and anchors at both NBC and its cable news sibling MSNBC, who publicly denounced the decision to hire McDaniel. As head of the RNC, McDaniel was involved in attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, including a phone call to pressure Michigan county officials not to certify the vote from the Detroit area, where Joe Biden had a commanding lead.
The revolt spilled into public view on Sunday when McDaniel appeared on "Meet the Press" with moderator Kristen Welker in her first interview since being hired by the network. Following the interview, NBC News' chief political analyst Chuck Todd delivered a stinging on-air criticism of NBC executives, telling Welker, "I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation."
The following day, MSNBC hosts Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough, Nicolle Wallace, and Rachel Maddow joined Todd in protesting the decision. Maddow, the network's biggest star, devoted the first half-hour of her prime-time program to the controversy, saying the decision to hire McDaniel was "inexplicable" and taking issue with McDaniel's long track record of demonizing the news media and launching attacks on NBC News journalists and MSNBC hosts.
The on-air revolt ensnared NBC's top leaders, including NBCUniversal News Group chair Cesar Conde, NBC News president Rebecca Blumenstein, and senior vice president of politics Carrie Budoff Brown, who were responsible for McDaniel's hiring. MSNBC president Rashida Jones also did not object to the decision, according to people familiar with the matter.
In the wake of Conde's announcement to sever ties with McDaniel, MSNBC hosts Joy Reid and Rachel Maddow addressed the reversal on the network's air, praising the move as "bold" and "strong." Maddow said, "I think it is a show of strength and a show of respect for the people who work at this company and make us who we are. That leadership was willing to change on this, I'm grateful to them."
Ahead of the network's decision, McDaniel spent Tuesday interviewing attorneys in preparation for a potential legal battle with NBC, according to a person familiar with the matter. The source also confirmed that CAA had dropped McDaniel as a client.
Former President Donald Trump reacted to the news on his social media platform, Truth Social, seemingly blaming McDaniel for making the move to the network in the first place. In her appearance on "Meet the Press," McDaniel had reversed her past comments and acknowledged that Joe Biden won the 2020 election "fair and square," while also indicating her opposition to Trump's plan to pardon those who participated in the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
