Jen Psaki's new MSNBC primetime show loses over half its key demographic viewers in just second episode

WASHINGTON, DC: Jen Psaki’s transition from White House press secretary to primetime host faced an early ratings hurdle as her MSNBC show, 'The Briefing', suffered a dramatic audience dip just one day after its debut.

Psaki officially stepped into MSNBC’s high-profile 9 pm ET slot from Tuesday to Friday this week, filling the space left as 'The Rachel Maddow Show' scaled back to its Monday-only schedule. Earlier she hosted 'Inside with Jen Psaki' on MSNBC.

After drawing 1.2 million viewers and 139,000 adults aged 25-54 on Tuesday night, the show plummeted to just over one million viewers on Wednesday, April 7, and lost 53% of its target demographic, reports Fox News.

Jen Psaki’s primetime MSNBC show stumbles in ratings with major viewer drop in second episode

The steep decline also included a 67% drop in viewers aged 18-49, making it one of the most significant day-to-day declines for a new MSNBC program in recent memory.

Psaki’s numbers paled in comparison to the previous occupant of the 9 pm ET slot, 'The Rachel Maddow Show', which routinely brought in 1.9 million viewers on Mondays.

Wednesday’s episode of 'The Briefing' ranked behind 38 other cable news shows among viewers in the key demographic, including multiple programs from Fox News, CNN, and even Psaki’s own MSNBC colleagues.

More surprisingly, her show was outperformed by reruns of 'Friends', 'Seinfeld', and 'Bob’s Burgers', as well as 'Paw Patrol' and 'My Strange Addiction.'

Despite high expectations for her primetime presence, Psaki’s slump also impacted the broader MSNBC lineup, contributing to the network’s lowest-rated Wednesday night from 8 to 11 pm since early January.

This marked the weakest showing in the 9 pm slot on a Wednesday since Alex Wagner’s December 2024 episode drew only 40,000 in the demo.

Psaki served as former President Joe Biden’s press secretary from 2021 to 2022.

Jen Psaki was named new face of MSNBC primetime following Joy Reid’s exit

Jen Psaki stepped into MSNBC’s 9 pm slot on Tuesdays through Fridays, following a shake-up that saw Joy Reid exit the primetime lineup. Psaki took over from Alex Wagner, who previously held that time slot.

According to The New York Post, Wagner stayed on with the network in a new capacity as a senior political analyst.

At the time of the announcement, MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler praised Jen Psaki’s growing influence on the network, stating, “Since joining MSNBC, Psaki has become a crucial and trusted voice for the network.”

She also highlighted the network’s momentum, adding, “We now have one of the most engaged audiences in all of television and are seeing rapid growth across digital, audio, and more. In the years ahead, we must continue to show up for our audiences in this critical moment while simultaneously best positioning ourselves for the future.”

The shift followed Joy Reid’s exit from the network, with 'The ReidOut' being phased out and replaced by 'The Weekend', a new program co-hosted by Michael Steele, Symone Sanders-Townsend, and Alicia Menendez.