Rachel Maddow takes a break to do a movie and other things
The MSBNC host has revealed she will be going on hiatus to make a movie with Ben Stiller.
Business Insider has reported that Rachel Maddow will be taking a break of “several weeks” from The Rachel Maddow show so that she can focus on other projects, as part of a broader agreement with NBCUniversal. One of MSNBC’s primetime anchors, Maddow will take the time off to devote some of her attention to the other content and media projects outlined in her contract. These include a new podcast, and a movie based on her book Bag Man, which examines the scandal around former U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew— to be directed by Ben Stiller for NBCU’s Focus Features.
Bag Man is described on Maddow’s personal website as “the knockdown, drag-out, untold story of the other scandal that rocked Nixon’s White House, and reset the rules for crooked presidents to come–with new reporting that expands on Rachel’s Peabody Award-nominated podcast.”
Maddow’s absence is expected to last a few weeks, after which she will return to host her nightly hour-long talk show, and contribute to the network’s coverage of major live events. Last year, she signed a lucrative $30 million-per-year contract through 2024 to stay at MSNBC.
Rashida Jones, who was named president of the network last year, said a major goal for Maddow and MSNBC is finding the best home for the anchor’s content across the company’s portfolio, rather than just her nightly slot.
“We’ve got parts of our business that focus on documentaries, that focus on long-form, scripted, unscripted, films, podcasts, audio, all of these things,” Jones revealed at The Information’s virtual WTF Summit. “Part of the process that we are figuring out with Rachel is how do we get exposure on more of those places?”
Maddow lives in New York City and Western Massachusetts with her partner, artist Susan Mikula.
For The Rachel Maddow Show go here. For Rachel Maddow’s personal website go here.
