MSNBC president Rashida Jones is reportedly stepping down from her position effective immediately on Tuesday (January 14), the Status newsletter reports.

Jones, who has served her role for four years, reportedly notified staffers of her decision Tuesday morning and will be replaced by Rebecca Kutler, senior vice president of content strategy, on an interim basis. The reported decision comes amid a pivotal time for MSNBC's parent company, NBCUniversal, and the network's uncertain future.

In November, the New York Post reported that MSNBC staffers were "in a panic" following a meeting led by NBCUniversal chairman Mark Lazarus that was said to be "tense" and even included the suggestion of the network changing its name, citing sources with knowledge of the situation. Staffers fearing potential layoffs asked several questions about rebranding for the progressive cable news network amid repots that it would be cut off from the reporting muscle of NBC News.

Comcast Corp, NBCUniversal's parent company, said MSNBC would be joining CNBC, Oxygen, E!, Syfy and the Golf Channel as part of a new company called SpinCo, while NBC News, NBC Sports, Telemundo, Bravo and the streaming service Peacock would all remain under the NBCUniversal umbrella. The spinoff is expected to take place in about a year.

Jones was credited in guiding MSNBC to ratings successes during her tenure, but the network has faced a decline in viewership since President-elect Donald Trump's decisive victory in the 2024 election.

Mike Russell