Mehdi Hassan announces his departure from MSNBC during the final show

MSNBC host Mehdi Hassan announced during the final broadcast of his show over the weekend that he is leaving the network.

He added: “As we begin 2024 with the election approaching, the war still ongoing, and several Trump impeachments to even follow, and with the show over, I've decided to look for a new challenge.” End of Sunday night's show. “Tonight isn't just the last episode of Presented by Mehdi Hassan“It's my last day with MSNBC.”

He continued: “Yes, I decided to leave. To be clear, I'm very proud of what we've achieved on this show, on this network, and I can't thank you enough for your following and support. And for your comments. As I say, new year, new plans.”

Presented by Mehdi Hassan It was shockingly canceled last November as part of an overhaul of weekend programming by MSNBC. At the time, the network announced that Hassan would remain with MSNBC as an on-air analyst and additional host.

Hassan's show wasn't the only program affected by the weekend schedule change. The revamped lineup, which will debut this month, includes a new two-hour morning show hosted by Alicia Menendez, Simone Sanders Townsend, and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. Meanwhile, shows hosted by Menendez, Sanders Townsend and Yasmin Vossogian were dropped, along with Hassan's programmes.

From now on, broadcaster Ayman Mohieldin's Sunday night program will be expanded to two hours and accommodate the hour that was previously full. Presented by Mehdi Hassan.

While the network viewed the cancellation of Hassan's program as part of an overall shift in programming, the decision immediately sparked a firestorm of criticism from progressives that MSNBC was… punishment Hassan for his highly critical stance towards the Israeli military response in Gaza. The backlash only grew New York Post Network sources mentioned who said his show was dropped due to “a sharp decline in ratings and the uproar over his anti-Israel views.”

Additionally, before the weekend network change, MSNBC took over Semaphore report Alleging that it marginalized its Muslim broadcasters – including Hassan – immediately after the October 7 Hamas attacks. While the network vehemently denied the story and insisted that it was largely focused on breaking news coverage during the early days of the Gaza war, the suggestion that Hassan was being prosecuted for his pro-Palestinian views persisted. (The two other Muslim broadcasters who were marginalized at the time maintained their programs and even saw their roles expand.)

Hassan, a former Al Jazeera presenter who has won widespread praise for his tough, relentless interviewing style, spent the last few weeks of his MSNBC show thanking his fans on social media. At the same time, he also not-so-subtly pushed back on the idea that his show's ratings were the reason for its cancellation, Promote Its viewership in relation to other weekend shows on MSNBC and CNN.