Despite O’Donnell’s soaring ratings, insider says network is not negotiating new deal when his contract expires in four weeks
.by | May 15, 2017
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MSNBC chairman Andy Lack is determined to replace prime-time host Lawrence O’Donnell in the 10 p.m. ET time slot with Brian Williams after O’Donnell’s current contract is up in four weeks, a network insider told TheWrap.
O’Donnell’s show, “The Last Word,” has been a ratings hit lately with the red-hot Rachel Maddow serving as its lead-in. As recently as Thursday night, O’Donnell was the second-most watched program in cable news, behind only Maddow. “The Last Word” won its 10 p.m. ET timeslot in both total viewers and the key news demo of adults age 25-54.
An MSNBC spokesperson told TheWrap that the network doesn’t comment on ongoing contract negotiations. Asked if the refusal to comment is confirmation that contract negotiations are indeed ongoing, and the MSNBC spokesperson replied, “Yes.”
It’s possible that a Sunday HuffPost story questioning O’Donnell’s future at the network kickstarted a contract negotiation within the last 24 hours, but the MSNBC spokesperson declined to comment further.
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