Stephanie Ruhle moved to 9 a.m. as MS NOW reshuffles lineup in first major post-name-change move
stephanie ruhle is being moved into a new two-hour morning block as cable news network MS NOW rolls out its first significant programming changes since its name change. The network said Wednesday it will trim “Morning Joe” from four hours to three, with the schedule revamp set to take effect in June. The moves are designed to strengthen a daytime lineup the company described internally as a key focus.
What changed: new hours for stephanie ruhle, Alicia Menendez, and “Morning Joe”
MS NOW said stephanie ruhle will anchor a two-hour slot starting at 9 a. m. ET and running to 11 a. m. ET. The hour carved out for the new show comes from “Morning Joe, ” which will shift to three hours starting at 6 a. m. ET.
The network said the “Morning Joe” reduction was the program’s choice, with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough having discussed the strain of hosting four hours daily.
Alicia Menendez will also move in the daytime schedule, taking a daily show from 12 p. m. to 2 p. m. ET, while the network acknowledged it still needs to fill the 11 a. m. ET time slot before the June changes begin.
Who is moving where: late night, 7 p. m., and weekend shifts
As part of the reshuffle, Ali Velshi will take over the current 11 p. m. ET program previously hosted by stephanie ruhle. On weekdays at 7 p. m. ET, Luke Russert will co-host “The Weeknight” alongside Symone Sanders Townsend and Michael Steele, replacing Menendez in that lineup.
Changes are also coming to the weekend schedule. Jacob Soboroff will take over Velshi’s weekend show and will anchor two three-hour shifts on the weekend, which MS NOW described as the network’s first program to be based in Los Angeles.
Chris Hayes will return to hosting his 8 p. m. show five days per week, rather than four, under the updated schedule.
Departures and new roles: Ana Cabrera exits; Chris Jansing shifts to political reporting
Two current daytime anchors are being affected directly. Ana Cabrera will leave the network as part of the changes, and Chris Jansing will move into a reporting role as MS NOW’s chief political reporter.
In a post on X, Cabrera wrote that she “decided to make a change” by leaving and would share more about her future plans soon. She described her goals as educating and informing, holding people in power accountable, and continuing to seek the truth by following the facts.
Immediate reactions from leadership: focus on elections and staffing
Rebecca Kutler, President of MS NOW, tied the lineup changes to the upcoming midterm elections and the 2028 presidential election. In a memo to employees, Kutler said many staffers on affected shows would be able to move into new roles and said the company’s overall staff count would grow by the end of the year.
“I am confident that these changes will make what is already a successful lineup even stronger in the future, ” Kutler wrote in the memo, adding that the network was “fortunate to have so many exceptional journalists on our air, online and behind the scenes. ”
Versant Chief Executive Mark Lazarus also pointed to audience momentum since the name change in November, saying the network had achieved significant growth in viewership. Versant said MS NOW averaged 1. 4 million total viewers in primetime in February, up 20% from the previous year, while noting its daytime ratings have been weaker and are a target of the new schedule.
What’s next: June rollout, a remaining hole at 11 a. m., and a daytime push
The full set of moves is scheduled to take effect in June, but MS NOW still has an open question to resolve: who will occupy the 11 a. m. ET hour. Until that slot is finalized, the schedule reflects both a strategic shift toward daytime performance and a practical effort to reassign staff into new roles as the network heads toward a heavy political cycle.
For viewers, the most immediate change will be the early-morning compression of “Morning Joe” and the launch of a new 9 a. m. ET to 11 a. m. ET block anchored by stephanie ruhle, a prominent signal of where the network is placing its daytime bets.
