MSNBC has named Stephanie Ruhle as the replacement for Brian Williams as host of The 11th Hour program, network president Rashida Jones confirmed Thursday.
Ruhle, who currently anchors the news network’s 9 a.m. hour, will fill the hole left by Williams’ departure from the network in December. The network’s Morning Joe series will expand to four hours to include the 9 a.m. time slot, Jones said in an internal memo.
Jones — who took over as MSNBC president in January 2021 — said in the memo that the moves “strengthen our lineup and set us up for success as we enter what is sure to be a consequential year.”
The full memo appears below:
All,
I’m delighted to share two significant programming updates that strengthen our lineup and set us up for success as we enter what is sure to be a consequential year.
Morning Joe, our premier morning program for the last 15 years, will be expanding to four hours, to 10 a.m. This expansion will give us an opportunity to extend the reach of the program, which has become so well known for its signature perspective and analysis, as well as its news-making exclusive interviews with top lawmakers, senior government officials and thought leaders.
Stephanie Ruhle, who had been anchoring the 9 a.m. slot, will take over as host of The 11th Hour, bringing her business acumen, hard-hitting interview style and original reporting to the viewers in that slot. Since joining MSNBC in 2016, Stephanie has been a staple of our dayside anchor team and a trusted voice on topics at the intersection of politics, finance and international business. In addition to bringing her decades-long experience to The 11th Hour, Stephanie will continue to appear across all platforms as NBC News Senior Business Analyst.
Please join me in congratulating the Morning Joe and The 11th Hour teams on these exciting new opportunities.
