After three years hosting his own show, Mehdi Hasan announced on Sunday night that he is leaving MSNBC.
Hasan made the announcement at the end of his show’s final broadcast, saying, “With this show going away, I have decided it’s time for me to look for a new challenge. Tonight is not just my final episode of The Mehdi Hasan Show; it’s my last day with MSNBC. Yes, I have decided to leave.”
Some personal news: I’ve decided to leave MSBNC.
AdvertisementNew year, new plans, new challenges:pic.twitter.com/A4ArRYk9d2
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) January 8, 2024
The progressive news host and commentator lost his Sunday night show in a programming reshuffle last November that saw Ayman Mohyeldin inherit his Sunday 8 p.m. ET hour, expanding his workload to four hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
The plan was for Hasan to remain at MSNBC as a political analyst and fill-in host, but the outspoken personality decided it would be best for him to leave the network.
“To be clear, I am so proud, so, so proud of what we have achieved on this show, on this network,” Hasan continued as he bid goodbye to Sunday night viewers. “As I say, new year, new plans.”
Hasan, a former Al Jazeera host-turned MSNBC contributor, had been a frequent guest host on All In With Chris Hayes before getting his own show, which debuted first on Peacock in Oct. 2020, after which it moved to Sundays on MSNBC in Feb. 2021.
His show featured “insightful reporting and probing interviews that examined the day’s events and provided a deeper level of context for the politics of our interconnected society.”
Hayes reflected on Hasan’s MSNBC departure, saying on social media that his departure was “a huge loss for us” adding that he was “an exceptional host and colleague.”
A huge loss for us. An exceptional host and colleague. https://t.co/TmBMaWqUo7
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) January 8, 2024
Segments of Hasan’s show would prove to be popular on social media, earning numerous likes, reposts, and comments on various platforms. He had strong takes on the direction the Israel-Hamas War was heading in recent months, mainly focusing on the conditions of the civilians in Gaza.
At one point, MSNBC denied a report that it had sidelined Hasan, alongside Moheyldin and Ali Velshi, the network’s most prominent Muslim voices, at the onset of the war. The network said that their absence from the air was coincidental and Hasan’s show during the early days of the war was shelved on Peacock because it was taped, and they wanted to keep the “coverage on the NBC streaming service more up-to-date.”
His presence on MSNBC would resume soon after, but the network announced the weekend programming reshuffle, effectively sidelining him.
Hasan did not indicate his plans post-MSNBC but encouraged his viewers to follow him on social media.