After announcing its new lineup in March, MS NOW officially unveils it on Monday — with a series of new shows launching throughout the day. And while the changes have been minimal in primetime, MS NOW’s 7 p.m. hour, The Weeknight, is adding Luke Russert to replace Alicia Menendez as one of the co-hosts. (Menendez is hosting a new two-hour show called On the Line, which debuts Monday at 12 p.m. ET). Russert joins Michael Steele and Symone Sanders-Townsend on a program that has become increasingly crucial to the network.

The change is happening at a time when The Weeknight is performing well. The show averaged 1 million total viewers and 122,000 demo viewers in May — with the latter number more than doubling year-over-year. It’s been pretty much the same story since launch, with The Weeknight posting solid, steady gains ever since its debut in February 2025. And while MS NOW still trails well behind Fox News in the timeslot, it has expanded its margin on CNN at 7 p.m.

With things going well, making a roster change would seem like a risk. But Steele and Sanders-Townsend told Mediaite they are confident that they will keep up their momentum. We caught up with the trio last week for a wide-ranging conversation ahead of Russert’s debut.

This conversation has been edited for style, length, and clarity.

Mediaite: Symone and Michael, you developed a strong chemistry with Alicia that was built over years. Someone new is now coming into the mix. Luke, what’s it like jumping on board a moving train here? I know you’ve filled in on the show. I know you’ve worked extensively with Michael and Symone. But getting the mechanics of a show that’s already in a rhythm and has had a chemistry and has had success. What’s that been like for you?

Luke Russert: It’s been an incredible process working with the crew at The Weeknight from the top on down. And I was out of TV for a while. And when I came back, they asked me to just guest-host one time last year. I was so anxious, I’m not gonna lie. It had been a minute since I had read a teleprompter in a professional capacity. And the second that I sat down with Michael and Symone, we just started jelling. We started talking, making jokes, keeping it light. Obviously, there were things that were substantive. But I could tell from the beginning this is a very comfortable place where I felt like it was such a well-produced show, such a well-orchestrated show that I could step in and it wouldn’t miss a beat. So that’s been incredibly gratifying.

The other thing that I’ll say is viewers have been incredible on the show in terms of their feedback. They’re very honest — which I like —more so than perhaps other shows I’ve been on, because they do feel that familial component. They do feel like they’re sitting down at the dinner table with you. So when you have that, it’s one of those things where you’re like, you know what? I want to come to dinner tonight and give viewers something that they appreciate, help them understand a complex issue of the day.

The last thing I’ll just say, I’ve been fortunate to know Michael for close to 20 years. I’ve known Symone for the last few years and worked with her in my capacity as the head of creative director and host of live events for MS NOW. Absolutely fantastic people. But their ability to go off the cuff is just something that — it’s the best I’ve ever worked with on television. And I think that’s what makes the show special is like. We don’t get tripped up. So you can throw something wild at us. And Michael has some institutional knowledge. Symone can quote the Federalist papers. And I try to bring in my eight years of beat reporting on Capitol Hill, and growing up in Washington and being around politics my entire life. So I like to say we don’t get stumped very often.

Michael Steele: I have to tell you, when Symone quotes the Federalist Papers and Thomas Paine and all these founding fathers of the Republic, she’s more Republican than I am!

Symone Sanders-Townsend: Well, you know, Black people used to all be Republicans until Reconstruction! Can I say one other thing? We actually didn’t even tell you this, Luke. But on Monday, we had a dress rehearsal, the three of us. And then Michael and I had to do a two-hour show that night. And after the show on Monday, Michael was in my office .. he was like ‘What did you think about rehearsal?’ And I said, ‘You know what? We had two ends of our spectrum today.’ We did our show that we’ve been doing for the last couple of years with Alicia that was very successful, where we do jell, we do have a chemistry, right?

But then we had the rehearsal with Luke, and I’m like, the rehearsal was so good, and it is a different show. It’s like Weeknight 2.0. There are some new things that people can expect. The music will be a little different. We’re doing some stuff a little different at the top. But people can expect to get the same straightforward, tell it like it is dinner party conversation. But I think what the Chairman [Steele] and I appreciated about Luke is he jumped right in, and he’s putting his own flavor on it. We’re so excited…I’m looking forward to it.

Steele: It was funny, we had that conversation, and the takeaway for me was Symone said ‘that was the most energy I’ve exerted at that hour of the day. I had to take a nap!’ The word I would use is refreshing — and I think that’s something that our audience will continue to take away from The Weeknight. It is refreshing television. It is honest, it is impactful. It’s in your face at times. It is instructive. People walk away, keeping the [dinner party] analogy going, with a full belly at the end of that hour. And they want to come back for more. Luke’s addition to this conversation for me personally…as he referenced, I’ve known Luke for a long time, and watched him. What is important for me is watching him do his thing. To grow in this industry. And to be honest, to carry the weight of name and reputation. He has done it well. He’s done it admirably. But it has not shaded who he is. He brings Luke to the table — which I think everyone is going to appreciate. And our audience has already made some suggestions to him. [Laughs]

To pick up on that, it does seem like you have a passionate and engaged audience. And I want go back to the beginning of the move to weeknights in February 2025. Because among MS 7 p.m. viewers, there was some skepticism at the start of it. You all were taking over for Joy Reid, who had a really tight bond with her audience. And then you guys took what she built and improved upon it. How have you developed your bond with the audience, and where does your relationship with the audience stand now?

Steele: It’s a very interesting question. Because the way we did that transition, if you recall, was each one of us took a week. So in the immediate aftermath of Joy’s departure, we come on that following Monday. And [MS NOW president] Rebecca [Kutler] had made the decision, we’re going to introduce you individually to our audience. And so I kicked it off that first Monday…And I thought that showed an immense respect for that audience, that 7 p.m. audience, to say ‘OK, we understand, but here’s someone you know and and hopefully trust.’ And I think that it was a way of sort of working the conversation with the audience, and helping them understand what we were doing. And we were going to create something here that in the long run that they would really like, and I think this worked out really well… And here we are.

Sanders-Townsend: We had a very successful version of The Weekend. So successful that we duplicated it twice. Now we got a Weekend in the morning, Weekend in evening, Weekend prime, everything… And I think. what worked for us in the beginning, and I think it’s why we’ve been able to build such a loyal audience at 7 p.m.

The Weeknight is a different show. It’s not a panel show, it is a conversation. And sometimes at the table, we have a member of Congress who is joining our conversation. Sometimes at the table there are legal experts who are joining our conversations. So we’re going to have a conversation at the table where you’re going learn something. Sometimes the guest is going to learn something. You know, you turn to the guests and tell them what they need to hear, which the audience says they appreciate. They’re like, ‘I love when Michael is just telling these dudes that’s what they need to do. Or.. something crazy is going to happen, and we’re gonna unpack it together.

Look, the thing about MS viewers — which is why Luke was able to be the creative director and the host of MS Live — our audience is so damn loyal they want to pay to come see us at our own version of like a BravoCon. They are flying across the country, driving across the country, to come and see more of the talent, the people that they trust in MS NOW folks. And I think that loyal audience… you know, you don’t get them easily. But once you get them, you got them. And I think we’re grateful for the folks that continue to tune in every night. Grateful for the people that understand that we’re not trying to do what somebody else did. We’re doing our own thing. And I just hear from the people out there, it seems to be working.

That’s been one of the cornerstones of this new MS NOW, the live events. The rebrand is now almost a year old. What’s the feeling internally about how it’s all going? You’re interacting with a live audience that’s very passionate. You’re seeing that out there. What’s the feeling like in the building, and what’s the feeling like among your colleagues? Is it like a startup kind of energy?

Russert: Great question. I think any time you change your name, you’re a little anxious, right? The MSNBC brand was a very strong brand for so many years. And we settled in on MS NOW. At first, we were like, OK, is this going to work? Are people going to understand it?

I think we did a great job at the beginning saying we’re still going to be the same channel, it’s the same people, it’s still where it is on your guide, on where you watch, etc. The digital operation is still there, everything’s there, and people have accepted it, and people have leaned into it.

I think the vibe inside the building is incredible. I went to the New York headquarters actually last week and there was just a great energy there. And the first thing I said is that comparative to 30 Rock where everybody was split up, where you had some people in the west part of the building, some people on the east side of the building, north, wherever. Everyone’s kind of together on one or two floors. And I walked into the newsroom, to the news desk, and I said, ‘this is a vibrant, active newsroom with a lot of newsgathering operations.’ There’s a whole screen on the wall with all these feeds coming in from places all over the world, reporters there, people paying attention there. So I think for where we are now, that it’s a real shot in the arm in terms of… this is a living, breathing, gargantuan news organization. And that’s been a wonderful thing to be a part of.

The thing about the live events that I found was so interesting was, when I started that job in 2024, and we would go out around the country and talk to people and talk to viewers and get a lot of feedback, the thing that came back consistently was how much our viewers looked to us to figure out, ‘OK, what can I do to be a better American?’ Not only understand what’s happening on the day-to-day, but if I want to be involved in community, et cetera. And that’s what I think is so interesting about MS, is that it’s very much a community feel. And I think that’s reflective of not only the people that work there, but also our viewers. People feel like they’re a part of something. Anytime you have that, it’s gonna be wildly successful because a lot of times it doesn’t feel like work. I mean, I’d hang out with Michael and Symone for free.

There seems to a deep passion right now among the left-leaning MS NOW audience, obviously, given who is in office. And, you talk about having this conversation, this ongoing conversation every night. And broadly, it feels like a very important time for the Left in America right now. Going into a midterm, but even beyond that, going into 2028. You look at the Graham Platner story, and of the ongoing infighting among former Biden aides, and the drama at the DNC> And it feels like there’s still a lot to work out on the Left. Is that a fair assessment? Are there still a lot of tough conversations that have to be had.

Sanders-Townsend: Both of the political parties are experiencing an identity crisis.

Steele: We have nothing to work out, we are good! [Laughs] We have no problems!

Sanders-Townsend: Are you OK? What’s in your cup, Michael? [Laughs] But we take your point. And this is a very consequential time for, I think, both of the political parties and people in this country. You know, the PR campaign we were running in, the beginning of the name change, the commercials people still see on our air about ‘We the People’ I think are really important and indicative who we want to be. And yes, a lot of Democrats are MS NOW viewers, but we also have a substantial number of Republican viewership throughout the day, really, which is very interesting. If you go and look at the breakdown of some of the numbers, there is a strong Michael Steele contingent among the MS NOW viewer. And so we understand that.

So this is a place where Graham Platner can come, and we get to ask the questions Chris Hayes asked to address the latest controversy. It’s also a place where Mike Pence can come, the former Vice President, a Republican, speak to our colleague Ali Vitali, and give his perspective on what is going on.

And so where we want to be specifically for The Weeknight, there’s not anybody else on television anywhere that can do what we do. Michael Steele was a very successful party chair. So damn successful that the Democrats are being like ‘We need Michael Steele. And I’m like ‘Y’all, Michael Steele is the reason y’all in this mess in the first place!’… Luke’s extensive experience on Capitol Hill, and just the relationships that he has there. There’s not a time where we’re not talking about something and Luke is like ‘Well, I happen to know…,’ I have obviously not only worked in the White House, but I cut my teeth in politics. I’ve worked for every faction of the Democratic Party apparatus, to be honest. The moderates, the progressives… What we want to endeavor to do, and I think what the kind of conversations we have about our show is that we want people to understand the landscape.

Steele: When I left the RNC, Phil Griffin, then the head of MSNBC, approached me directly and said, ‘I want you to come on our air. I think you’d offer some interesting insights to our audience. You the most successful RNC chairman in modern history of the party, and people want to know not just how you did what you did, but why you did what you did.’ And I thought that was very honest, and I told him at the time, ‘Look, if you want a Republican to come on to be a punching bag for this network, that ain’t happening. There’s nothing about me that’s a punching bag. It’s not gonna happen.’ And he said, ‘that’s not why we want you here. I think our audience would really, not only gain from what you have to say, but would welcome that conversation.’ And I have been in a welcoming conversation with the MSNBC audience from the very first moment I came on the air. And it has been, for me, someone who has learned and grown in that experience. I’m listening to my friends on the other side of the aisle speaking broadly, not just progressive. Because the network isn’t just a progressive network. There are a lot of traditional liberals, if you will, who make up our audience. And there are even some of those Democrats who would be more center-right, if you will. So MSNBC has a very broad audience on what is perceived as the left.

Russert: There’s this story recently, which I really think captured what we do best — not only at our show, but also at the network. And that was when the DNC autopsy came out. And I happened to be in the chair that night with Michael and Symone. And we had had a call earlier in the day, and the DNC autopsy came out and people are going very heavy into hyperbole. ‘This is the worst thing that’s ever happened. And Ken Martin threw this out and blah, blah, blah.’

And here we had Michael Steele, former party chair, so he knows the shoes that Ken Martin’s in. And then Symone, who has been in democratic politics for a very long time. And on that call, Symone took us through, ‘OK, these are the headlines that are getting all the attention. But let’s go through what this is actually saying about the inter-party dynamics and what is actually happening out in the states, with different state chairmen, et cetera.’ So we booked Joyce Beatty that evening on the show. She’s a member of the DNC. And ut was one of the finest conversations I’ve ever been a part of, even though I got one tiny question at the end about why the DNC has lost all their money. These two took off and did great TV and I was happy to sit back and watch. Because I learned something….I didn’t see any of that type of reporting anywhere else.

And I think it speaks to two things. One is, I’m sure there’s people in our audience that said, ‘Yeah, I agree with Michael. Why would they have actually released that?’ And there are people in the audience who hear Symone and say, ‘You know what? Thank you for making sense of this very complex, crazy issue.’ And then I came in and said, ‘All that being said, you are running out of money. That’s the problem, right? Let’s be honest here.’ And I think that speaks to what we can do.

And I also think it speaks to being honest with our audience. You know, we’re very fortunate to work for a network that has never once told us how to report a story. It’s never been like, you need to be more of a cheerleader here, or don’t mention this, or don’t mentioned that, not once. We are free to report on everything, how we want to do it, and in this day and age, that’s a very nice luxury to have.

And do you feel that same sense of backing without a corporate titan behind you? Do you all feel that sense of freedom, even though you don’t have NBCUniversal backing you up as you once did?

Sanders-Townsend: The network has been very clear that they will defend our ability to do the news. They will always defend our abilities to go on air and give our smart analysis. And it is our duty as the people who are sitting in the seats to make sure that we are going on air, and giving smart analysis. So we do our part, and the network has always been clear that they are going to do theirs.

And you know, sometimes we joke, I always say ‘look, I got to keep my lashes and my nails done, because if they take me to the gulag, I just need to make sure my photo looks good.’ And I’m joking, but these are perilous times for everyone in this country, but journalism included. The people that do the news included. The president can post about you on his social media site. And that puts a target on you… But our network has never put us in the position where it’s like we can’t do that because we have to be conscious of these other things. We talk about it all. There are people that are not talking about the fact that the president appears to be asleep. We have been, consistently. I’m like, ‘He is unwell, y’all not talking to us about it!’

Steele: I want to make that very clear. I would say of the three of us, I’m probably the one who gets the closest to the line that standards and the lawyers are like… ‘OK…’And look, I’ve been very honest about that. I’m like, ‘show me where the line is, and I will put my pinky toe on it.’ They will let you know, and they allow for that because it is what the conversation that our audience is already having with itself. They’re looking to better understand and to contextualize, and a little bit of affirmation or a little of dissuasion. Whatever it is, that’s a part of the conversation.

Look, we’re not out here looking to get sued by Donald Trump. Just think about how stupid that sentence is in the context of who he is and who we are, right? But as Symone noted, here we are. So we have an incredibly good back room of lawyers and folks who set the standards for this network. Every night we know where that line is, we adhere to that standard. But they have not imposed limitations on us.

You know, we’re grown-ups. As my mama would say, we’re grown-ass people. We know what we’re doing and we’re not trying to be provocative to get clicks and likes. We’re trying to do it professionally, and to do it well. And bringing Luke onto this set with us advances that, and moves that further down the road.

What I love about where we are right we’re going into a political season where Symone and I are salivating. there’s no doubt about it. But you know who else is salivating? Luke Russert. And so you’ve got three people who are gonna bring the energy to have a conversation, to peel back the curtain, to get under the rug, let people know what’s dust and what isn’t, right? What you need to wipe off the table and move on, and what you need pay attention to. And so I’m excited about it, and I think we’re gonna have fun.

——

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!