In response to Hamas’s recent attack on Israel and the surge of sympathy for Israeli terror victims in the United States, MSNBC has replaced three Muslim hosts from their anchor positions. As a part of this decision, the network unexpectedly canceled Thursday night’s episode of The Mehdi Hasan Show on the Peacock streaming platform.
MSNBC has made some changes to its schedule. Ayman Mohyeldin, a seasoned NBC News correspondent and an Egyptian-American journalist, will no longer be filling in for Joy Reid as the host of her 7 PM show on Thursdays and Fridays. Mohyeldin has spent two years reporting on the conflict in Gaza and has been noted for questioning Israeli leaders regarding their strikes on the territory in 2021.
MSNBC plans for Alicia Menendez to take over for Ali Velshi this weekend, another Muslim-American host who had previously interviewed a spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority on Sunday, according to Semafor.
Certain employees at MSNBC have expressed concerns about recent changes, as they believe all three hosts deeply understand the conflict. NBC insists that the alterations are purely coincidental, and these three hosts will continue to appear on air to deliver reports and provide analysis.
A representative from the company strongly refuted any suggestion that Hasan or Mohyeldin were being marginalized in any manner. In recent days, Mohyeldin has made guest appearances on multiple MSNBC programs, including those hosted by Reid and Chris Hayes.
Although he didn’t host Reid’s show, a network spokesperson explained that the channel chose to stick with their more familiar weekday hosts rather than handing over the reins to weekend anchors. As for Hasan’s Peacock show is pre-recorded, and the network decided to prioritize keeping NBC’s streaming service content current over airing his show.
“We have and will continue to thoroughly cover the horrific terrorist attacks on innocent civilians in Israel over the past weekend and the resulting tragic war in all its aspects,” stated NBCUniversal Executive Vice President of Communications Stephen Labaton.
The recent developments at MSNBC coincide with the network’s shift towards expressing strong support for the Jewish state following the violent attacks by Hamas. This change has sparked passionate internal and external debates about maintaining solidarity, and Hasan, Mohyeldin, and Velshi have faced criticism on social media. Hasan, particularly, has been active on X (formerly Twitter), denouncing the Hamas attack and raising awareness about the suffering of civilians in Gaza.
The divisions surrounding the Middle East situation have also spilled over into the company’s internal dynamics. On a Wednesday, an NBCU engineer organized a network-wide support event for employees affected by the conflict. However, a Slack channel created for the event turned into a dispute when the engineer reprimanded a producer from Velshi’s show who questioned the absence of Palestinian representation.
The NBC event organizer explained, “I’m organizing an event for those interested in receiving updates about the situation in Israel and a space to share stories from individuals on the ground, including a rabbi.” Velshi’s producer inquired about the absence of Palestinian representation.
The organizer responded, “This event is not about Palestinians and Jews/Israelis. It focuses on terrorists and Jews/Israelis. Everyone joining this group must disavow terrorism and what occurred on Saturday. Claims of ‘freedom fighting’ or any rationalizations that don’t explicitly and unequivocally express support during this challenging time are not welcome here.”
Velshi’s producer mentioned receiving a private message from the employee containing highly offensive remarks.
An NBC HR representative intervened at this point, urging everyone to “maintain a respectful tone.” They shared the company’s employee conduct guidelines and recommended attending a diversity, equity, and inclusion meeting.
