MSNBC president Rashida Jones has stepped down

Rashida Jones.

Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Voto Latino

Rashida Jones has stepped down as president of MSNBC, multiple news outlets reported.Rebecca Kutler will succeed her as interim president, according to reports.The left-leaning network faces an uncertain future as it heads toward a spinoff and new Trump era.

MSNBC president Rashida Jones has stepped down, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.

The change comes amid struggling ratings and days before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Jones will be succeeded by SVP of content strategy Rebecca Kutler as interim president of the left-leaning news network, The New York Times reported.

MSNBC is among the NBCUniversal networks, along with CNBC, E!, Oxygen, and others that parent Comcast plans to spin off in the coming year. Comcast positioned the move as a way to grow by acquiring other cable networks as well as organically.

Jones started in the role in 2021 and is credited with leading the network to ratings successes. Ratings for MSNBC, along with CNN, have fallen since the November election, though, and it’s uncertain if they’ll come back.

Had Jones stayed, she would report to a new boss, Mark Lazarus, who is currently chairman of NBCUniversal’s media group and who was tapped to lead the new company. Cesar Conde will stay on as NBCUniversal News Group chair but lose the cable network as part of the transition.

MSNBC faces an uncertain future under Trump 2.0. MSNBC just brought back its star Rachel Maddow five days a week to cover the first 100 days of Trump’s new administration. The move could give the network a much-needed ratings boost.

One former MSNBC executive said they felt running the network was an “impossible situation.” They asked for anonymity to protect business relationships; their identity is known to Business Insider.

“Resistance TV is less important,” this person said. “The challenge will be, how will the network appear more down the middle without losing their audience? The shrinking linear marketplace and rapidly evolving political environment have created a perfect storm.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.