Former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki appears to be in trouble just two months into her primetime MSNBC debut.
According to viewership numbers, “The Briefing with Jen Psaki” is falling flat with viewers.
Psaki, who made headlines during the Biden administration for repeatedly defending the president’s mental acuity, was given a major platform in May as part of MSNBC’s reshuffling.
She took over the network’s 9 p.m. ET slot Tuesday through Friday.
Her show fills the gap left by Rachel Maddow, who now appears only on Mondays.
However, since its debut on May 6, “The Briefing” has averaged just 1.1 million total viewers, spelling doom for Joe Biden’s former spokeswoman.
Pskai has lost a staggering 44% of the audience Maddow and Alex Wagner drew in the same time slot earlier in 2025.
Wagner’s show, which held the 9 p.m. slot last year, also topped Psaki’s early numbers, averaging 1.2 million viewers, a 17% lead.
The outlook is even worse in the key advertising demographic of adults aged 25-54.
Psaki’s show has managed just 90,000 demo viewers, significantly trailing Wagner’s 123,000 from the same period last year.
That gap is magnified when compared to Fox News’ “Hannity,” which has dominated the hour with 2.9 million viewers overall and 344,000 demo viewers since May 6.
Even CNN’s struggling “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” has edged out Psaki in the demo, drawing 108,000 viewers aged 25-54, despite posting weaker total viewer numbers overall.
Among younger viewers aged 18-49, Psaki again trailed:
- The Briefing: 62,000
- The Source: 70,000
- Hannity: 219,000
Despite the poor start, MSNBC insiders are spinning the numbers.
Instead, they are highlighting that “The Briefing” has become the network’s No. 3 most-watched daily program in just two months.
They also noted that Psaki managed to build on the audience of her lead-in, “All In with Chris Hayes,” which is something Alex Wagner failed to do in 2024.
There was a slight ratings bump in June, as “The Briefing” climbed to just over 1 million viewers, up 8% from May, with a 17% gain in the demo.
However, even with that modest growth, Psaki continues to lag behind competitors in every major category.
Psaki, who served as President Joe Biden’s first press secretary from 2021 to 2022, became a favorite among MSNBC’s progressive audience.
She was popular among liberals for her combative press room style and loyalty to the Biden administration.
Her move to cable news came amid renewed scrutiny over Biden’s mental fitness and the upcoming release of “Original Sin,” a book that has added fuel to the fire.
As MSNBC continues to struggle with overall viewership declines, questions remain about whether Psaki has the star power or broad appeal to anchor the network’s most critical timeslot.
For now, the numbers suggest that loyalty to Biden might earn airtime on MSNBC.
However, it clearly doesn’t guarantee an audience.
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