Alex Wagner, most recently of Showtime’s “The Circus,” is heading to MSNBC to take over the 9 p.m. slot starting August 16.
Wagner will take over the four-day-a-week gig — the result of Rachel Maddow shifting to just once a week, on Mondays.
Wagner reacted to the news on Twitter, writing, “I am absolutely thrilled and honored and generally upside down with excitement to come back home to @MSNBC to host the 9PM hour, beginning August 16th. LET’S DO THIS.”
Wagner previously worked at MSNBC, hosting the show “Now with Alex Wagner” from 2011-2015.
“Alex Wagner in the 9pm hour was a clear choice. Her unique perspective—built on more than two decades in journalism—and tenacious reporting in the U.S. and abroad will help our audiences contextualize what matters,” MSNBC president Rashida Jones said in a statement. “I am looking forward to watching Alex thrive in MSNBC’s primetime lineup.”
Since Maddow scaled back to just one day a week a rotating cast of anchors, including Ali Velshi, have filled in for the MSNBC host, and they will continue until Wagner officially starts.