Psaki’s MSNBC Primetime Flop: The Briefing Sheds 53% of Key Demo in Second Episode

Jen Psaki’s primetime debut on MSNBC’s The Briefing took a nosedive faster than a lead balloon. The former Biden press secretary stepped into the coveted 9 p.m. ET slot, replacing Rachel Maddow’s weeknight run, only to see viewership crater in her second episode. On Tuesday, Psaki pulled in 1.2 million total viewers and 139,000 in the key 25-54 demographic. By Wednesday, those numbers plummeted to just over 1 million total and a mere 65,000 in the demo—a jaw-dropping 53% drop in the advertiser-coveted age group.

The slide didn’t stop there. Among the 18-49 crowd, Psaki’s show lost 67% of its viewers, tumbling from 113,000 to 37,000 in a single day. For context, last week’s Maddow-led 9 p.m. slot averaged 1.9 million total viewers and 141,000 in the 25-54 demo. Psaki’s Wednesday flop shed nearly half of Maddow’s audience and trailed 38 other cable news programs in the demo, outdone by Fox News, CNN, and even repeats of Friends and Paw Patrol.

Psaki’s rough night dragged down MSNBC’s entire primetime block, marking the network’s lowest-rated Wednesday from 8-11 p.m. in both total viewers and the demo since early January. The 9 p.m. slot hasn’t seen such a dismal demo performance since Alex Wagner’s 40,000 viewers last December. Ouch.