MSNBC moves Al Sharpton to Sunday mornings
7:35 p.m. | Aug. 26, 2015
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Al Sharpton is leaving MSNBC's weekday dayside lineup, and moving to Sunday mornings.
Sharpton's last weekday "PoliticsNation" will be Sept. 4. He moves to Sundays a month later on Oct. 4, according to a memo sent to MSNBC staff by the channel's president Phil Griffin Wednesday evening.
"I want to congratulate Al and his team. For four years they have done a terrific job bringing his voice and a big spotlight to issues of justice, civil rights and equality. And as many of you know, The Rev never missed a show," Griffin wrote in the email. "I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with a Sunday morning newsmaker program."
The 6 pm hour will temporarily be filled by "MSNBC Live," the channel's weekday news program. A permanent replacement will be named "soon after" Sharpton moves, per Griffin.
Sharpton broke the news of his new timeslot to the Daily News.
“I never wanted to be a weeknight pundit. I wanted to be a Sunday morning newsmaker," he told the News. "I wanted to be Dr. Martin Luther King, not Larry King.”
The Sunday morning timeslot is currently occupied by "Up with Steve Kornacki," which airs rom 8-10 am on Saturdays and Sundays. Going forward, Kornacki will only host three hours on the weekend, rather than four.
Sharpton's shift follows an almost complete revamp of MSNBC's dayside lineup. The channel canceled "The Cycle," "Now with Alex Wagner" and "The Ed Show" late last month.
