Rachel Maddow returns to host nightly MSNBC show for Trump’s first 100 days

Rachel Maddow, the award-winning out lesbian journalist whose sharp analysis and storytelling have made her a beacon for MSNBC viewers, will return to hosting The Rachel Maddow Show five nights a week during the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second term as president. The network announced Maddow’s return on Monday. The temporary change begins January 20, marking Maddow’s reentry into the nightly news cycle after scaling back her hosting duties in 2022.

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Alex Wagner, who has hosted the 9 p.m. hour Tuesday through Friday since 2022, will use the opportunity to lead “Trumpland: The First 100 Days,” a series of field reports examining Trump’s policies’ impacts on communities nationwide, USA Today reports. Maddow praised Wagner’s work, calling it an essential complement to her nightly analysis.

Related: Rachel Maddow on Modern-Day Extremism, American Democracy, and Her New Book, Prequel

Maddow’s return coincides with a fraught political moment for the LGBTQ+ community, as Trump’s administration prepares to implement policies widely seen as hostile to queer and marginalized people. MSNBC vice president of editorial and booking Jesse Rodriguez hyped the news Monday on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “BIG MSNBC NEWS: The Rachel @maddow Show returns to 5 days a week for the first 100 days of the incoming Trump administration.”

Since stepping back from nightly hosting, Maddow has explored other projects, including her acclaimed book, Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism, whichexamines the historical roots of authoritarian movements in the U.S., drawing chilling parallels to the present day. Speaking to The Advocate in 2023, Maddow connected the rise of modern extremism to historical patterns of scapegoating, misinformation, and political violence.

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“In the first Trump term, one of the things that we learned was this idea of watching what they do, not what they say,” Maddow toldUSA Today. She emphasized the importance of focusing on policies rather than distractions, warning that the chaos of Trump’s rhetoric often conceals more significant actions, such as targeting immigrants or dismantling democratic norms.

For LGBTQ+ audiences, Maddow’s return offers a steady and trusted voice at a time when anti-queer rhetoric and policies are resurging.

Maddows expanded schedule will end on May 1.