Rachel Maddow’s big paycheck causing tension at MSNBC as Lawrence O’Donnell stays off-air, claims insider

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A storm is brewing within MSNBC as 'The Last Word' host Lawrence O'Donnell mysteriously took a break from his show right amid whispers of jealousy over Rachel Maddow’s massive paycheck.

With Maddow reportedly pulling in a staggering $25 million a year, it’s no surprise that other anchors at MSNBC might be eyeing her deal with a little resentment.

The Rachel Maddow effect

Rachel Maddow has been the face of MSNBC since her show debuted in 2008—and there’s no denying she’s the network’s biggest star.

In February, her program topped the ratings at MSNBC, per AdWeek, and she even vowed to ramp up her on-air appearances from her usual once-a-week slot to every weekday during President Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in the White House.

But that kind of dominance has some side effects.

According to sources, Lawrence O’Donnell is currently negotiating his contract and wants something that’s being called “The Rachel Maddow Deal".

"Lawrence has been trying to renegotiate his contract, and what he wants is what internally everyone's calling 'The Rachel Maddow Deal,'" an anonymous insider told The US Sun. "That's working about one day a week and recording a podcast, which will never happen again."

The source spilled that Maddow’s lucrative contract was locked in before NBC made the decision to spin off MSNBC as a separate entity—something that has reportedly left other network talents green with envy.

The insider even called Maddow’s contract “crazy” and “silly", adding that everyone at the network wants her "golden parachute".

Is Lawrence O’Donnell worried about his future?

Aside from wanting a Rachel Maddow-style payday, sources claim Lawrence O'Donnell is also concerned about what will happen to his ratings once Maddow inevitably returns to her once-a-week schedule. 

Her show airs before his, and he allegedly fears that his numbers will take a hit once she scales back her appearances—something he definitely doesn’t want blamed on him when it’s time to talk contracts.

"Lawrence's thinking is that it's not fair that his numbers will take a hit when Rachel leaves again," the insider claimed. "He believes execs will blame him, and that that will ultimately be bad for his upcoming contract."

But things got interesting when, right in the middle of all this contract drama, O’Donnell took an unexpected break from his show.

Lawrence O’Donnell trolled over 'exhaustion' and sudden absence

On March 13, Lawrence O'Donnell made a bizarre on-air confession to Rachel Maddow, admitting he was completely drained.

"This is day 52. I thought it was day 92. It turns out it's day 52, Rachel... and so I'm going to take next week off," he said, looking worn out.

Maddow pouted and said she was "very sad" to continue without him but understood why he needed a break. 

"You have to take care of yourself. You got to pace yourself. You got to be in this for the long haul, so I can't hold it against you," she said.

That clip quickly blew up on social media, and people weren’t exactly sympathetic.

"Spinning truth and making up lies is apparently very exhausting. Take a break—permanently—no one will miss you," one X user posted.

"I'm sure every one of his 117 viewers are devastated," another quipped.

"Poor fellow. He should take a few years off," someone else added.

Is it really just a break?

Lawrence O’Donnell had promised he would be gone for only a week, but people started wondering if something else was at play as the days stretched into weeks.

With the timing perfectly aligning with his reported contract negotiations, speculation was rife as to whether this was a strategic move, a silent protest over his pay, or maybe a way to pressure MSNBC execs into giving him a better deal.

An insider told The US Sun that MSNBC has no interest in giving O’Donnell the once-a-week treatment Maddow enjoys. Instead, they want full-time anchors who can help the network become a self-sustaining, profitable company.

"By the time they spin off, they want to be a self-contained, profitable company, and if Lawrence doesn't want to be part of that, or just wants to do one show a week—it's going to be a problem for him," the source said.

After days of radio silence, O'Donnell finally resurfaced on X on March 27—explaining why his one-week break had turned into two.

"Thanks to @msnbc team @Capehartj @AliVelshi @jrpsaki for filling in for me. My week off turned into 2 weeks after I picked up an infection. Expect to be back next week," he wrote.

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