Journalist Mehdi Hasan Quits MSNBC Month After Cancellation of Sunday Night Show

Formerly a journalist for Al Jazeera English and the Intercept, Hasan’s quit the network after an announcement in November 2023, where the network said that it was cancelling his show amid a larger reshuffling of weekend programming.

(Photo: Commons)

On the final episode of his Sunday night show on 7 January, journalist and television host Mehdi Hasan said that he is ending his tenure at MSNBC effective immediately after the program was cancelled late last year.

“It’s been an absolute blast doing this live show on MSNBC,” Hasan told viewers during his closing remarks and added:

“It’s been a privilege, it’s been a pleasure. But, as we begin 2024 with an election coming, a war still ongoing and too many Trump trials honestly to even keep track of … I’ve decided it’s time for me to look for a new challenge.”

Formerly a journalist for Al Jazeera English and the Intercept, Hasan’s quit the network after an announcement in November 2023, where the network said that it was cancelling his show amid a larger reshuffling of weekend programming.

However, the move prompted backlash from many, who lauded Hasan for his coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict and his critique of the Israelis government's action in Gaza.

Many also hit out at the network for removing Hasan from the air, pointing out that he was only one of three Muslim hosts on the network alongside colleagues Ayman Mohyeldin and Ali Velshi, and part of just a handful on US TV networks.

Democrat Congressperson Ro Khanna said, “It is bad optics for MSNBC to cancel @mehdirhasan’s show right at a time when he is vocal for human rights in Gaza with the war ongoing."

“As a strong supporter of free speech, MSNBC owes the public an explanation for this decision. Why would they choose to do this now?” he added.

Meanwhile, former MSNBC host Cenk Uygur wrote, “It’s not just because he treats Muslims as real human beings, it’s also because he actually challenges his guests. And that is the biggest heresy in mainstream media.”

Hasan started his show on Peacock in October 2020, and it moved to MSNBC in March 2021.

While the British-born Hasan started his show on American video streaming service Peacock before the program moved to MSNBC in March 2021.

Hasan called his time at MSNBC a "privilege" and said, "It’s been an absolute blast doing this live show on MSNBC for the past three years with an amazing team of producers behind me."

Several clips of Hasan's clips went viral on social media, best known for his fierce debates with guests, fact-checking and correcting them, and refusing to let them avoid giving an answer.

Some of the Indian-origin Briton's past guests include 2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, former US national security adviser John Bolton and most recently, Mark Regev, senior adviser to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s former ambassador to the UK.