Al Sharpton Moving to Sundays on MSNBC

By Chris Ariens 

The MSNBC makeover continues.

The New York Daily News reports Rev. Al Sharpton is moving from his slot weeknights at 6 p.m. ET to Sundays at 8 a.m. “I never wanted to be a weeknight pundit. I wanted to be a Sunday morning newsmaker,” Sharpton told the News’ David Hinckley. “I wanted to be Dr. Martin Luther King, not Larry King.”

His final daily show airs next Friday and he’ll be back on the air Sunday, Oct. 4. “I’m very happy. I can reach a wider audience of people who don’t get home by 6 at night,” he said.

Advertisement

Sharpton’s move is the last piece of the progressive slate MSNBC had built for its dayside programming over the last several years. In February, Ronan Farrow and Joy Reid had their shows replaced by newscasts, anchored by Thomas Roberts. Then last month, MSNBC canceled The Cycle, and programs hosted by Alex Wagner and Ed Schultz. All the changes are the work of new NBC News group chairman Andy Lack, who returned to NBC News earlier this year, and was part of the team that created MSNBC in 1996.

There’s no word on what MSNBC has planned for the 6 p.m. slot, but Chuck Todd will soon move in at 5 p.m.

Advertisement