MSNBC is doing a talent revamp to include two out gay Black men on “The Weekend,” a historic win for Black LGBTQ+ representation. “The Weekend” will be hosted by MSNBC vet Jonathan Capehart and senior Washington correspondent Eugene Daniels, who will join new Washington correspondent Jackie Alemany for a three-person panel show, according to LGBTQ Nation.
Capehart and Daniels are the first two Black gay men to host a news program together under a major network. The three hosts make a highly qualified united front. Capehart is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and associate editor for the Washington Post, and current host of “The Saturday/Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart” on weekend evenings. Alemany has also worked with the Washington Post as a White House reporter for six years. Daniels was a White House correspondent for Politico and co-author of their influential insider publication “Playbook.” He also serves as the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, LGBTQ Nation reports.
However, the addition of “The Weekend” follows the controversial cancellation of “The ReidOut” a long-running show hosted by Black MSNBC vet Joy Reid. MSNBC parted with network partner NBC News earlier this year and acquired a new president, resulting in the cancellations and rearrangement of many esteemed programs on the network. Rachel Maddow used her own show to call the cancellations, particularly those hosted by non-white journalists, “unnerving” and “indefensible.”
Meanwhile, dozens of producers and staffers at the outlet are facing layoffs or being forced to apply for alternative positions, according to Maddow. Employees who worked on production for “The Rachel Maddow Show” were also laid off late last month. Also earlier this year, NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt resigned from his role.
Capehart, Daniels and Alemany shared news of “The Weekend” on MSNBC hit show “Morning Joe” last week. “We have so much to talk about, and thankfully, we’re going to have six hours—Saturday and Sunday— to really keep the conversation going,” Capehart said.
