NBC News drops former RNC head Ronna McDaniel amid internal uproar

NBC News cuts ties with Ronna McDaniel amid internal and viewers uproar over her controversial appointment as political commentator.

NBC News has severed ties with Ronna McDaniel, the former chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, just four days after her controversial appointment as a political commentator.

Former NBC News “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd criticized his network Sunday, March 24, 2024, for hiring former Republican National Committee head McDaniel as a paid contributor, saying on the air that many NBC journalists are uncomfortable with the decision. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)(AP)

It followed upon the heels of a hailstorm of protestations from the company’s own tier-1 anchors and even a wider proportion of the viewership, in which notably the viewers of MSNBC participated.

Last Friday, soon upon the release of the press announcing McDaniel’s hiring, the NBC reporters and social media audience were left visibly disappointed. The criticism was raised to the highest point in MSNBC’s audience and mostly focused on MSNÇiel’s place in the Republican Party right through the Trump administration and her cooperation in his baseless claim that the 2020 election was rigged.

‘Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor’: NBC boss

Cesar Conde, the chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, addressed the issue in a staff memo on Tuesday, stating, “After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor,” and emphasized, “No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal.”

The flashpoint on the NBC news division regarding McDaniel created a very hard nut to crack for Conde; she has led it since 2020. Originally, McDaniel's recruitment had been endorsed by both candidate and staff, as part of a plan to showcase the public the many political perspectives during the election season. There are many of such cases: for example, Katie Goodman from CNN. Also, Reince Priebus, Trump’s former chief of staff, was currently hired as a commentator by ABC News.

On the contrary that matter triggered the confrontation, when some of the most respected key anchors at NBC severely protested their hiring of McDaniel. They said it was a disqualifying factor for her because she was associated with Trump’s efforts to contest the 2020 election outcome. The truth is that elections in the United States are not usually as volatile as they are in other nations.

Rachel Maddow, host of MSNBC’s highest-rated show, dedicated a major portion of her program on Monday night to discuss McDaniel’s hiring. In a 29-minute segment, Maddow described the decision as “inexplicable” and likened McDaniel to historical figures known for authoritarian ambitions. Maddow urged the network executives to reconsider, saying, “Take a minute, acknowledge that maybe it wasn’t the right call.”

Maddow’s sentiments were echoed by fellow MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Nicolle Wallace, who collectively voiced their disapproval. Wallace, a former Republican and staunch defender of George W. Bush, criticized NBC for allowing “election deniers” to disseminate misinformation on what she referred to as “our sacred airwaves.”