Rachel Maddow trolled after announcing hiatus from MSNBC to make film with Ben Stiller
Famous anchor Rachel Maddow is reportedly set to take a hiatus from her primetime talk show on MSNBC to focus on movie and podcast projects, including a film directed by actor Ben Stiller.
Maddow reportedly told the staff of the network that she is stepping aside for a few weeks to devote time to her side projects, according to a report by Business Insider. According to reports, the anchor announced her decision to take a break to viewers during Monday night’s broadcast. She is expected to leave for a few weeks after which she will return to host her nightly hour-long talk show. Last year, Maddow had signed a lucrative $30 million-per-year contract till 2024 to stay at MSNBC so she will also continue to contribute to the network's coverage of major live events.
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Maddow told viewers during her show, “I am going to take a little bit of time off from this show.” She added, "I’m nervous about all this. It’s a change in my life. But it’s all for the good."
Maddow plans to focus on her side business and interest. She is preparing to work with Ben Stiller on a movie titled 'Bag Man' based on her book and podcast series. Maddow's 'Bag Man' is about a political bribery scandal and follows the crimes of President Richard Nixon's vice president Spiro Agnew, who carried out bribery and extortion schemes from inside the White House. Variety announced that Ben Stiller will be directing and co-writing the film with Adam Perlman and Mike Yarvitz.
The terms of the deal with MSNBC allowed Maddow to scale back her nightly schedule so she could work on other media ventures including streaming and podcasting. Maddow is said to be eyeing the creation of another podcast as well as other projects in collaboration with Phil Griffin, who recently stepped down as president of MSNBC.
But the news has caused quite a stir on the internet, and social media users are trolling the MSNBC host on Twitter and drawing similarities between her and Ben Stiller's appearances.
Is she playing a young version of him
— The Vax is just a therapeutic ya culty fuck (@B_Alweezy) January 31, 2022
"There's Something About Jerry" with @maddow as Jerry Stiller. 🤣
— Rob (@CharlieMcBarley) January 31, 2022
Due to Maddow's history of misinformation, people are using the chance to troll her even about it.
Isn't Rachel Maddow that dude who spreads COVID misinformation...? Why is he still on twitter?
— Gunther Eagleman L.E.O Retired (@GuntherEagleman) January 31, 2022
Maddow’s hiatus comes amid significant changes at MSNBC. Last week, the network announced that longtime business correspondent Stephanie Ruhle would fill Brian Williams’ 11 pm nightly time slot and that 'Morning Joe' would expand to a four-hour daily broadcast each morning.
Williams, the former 'NBC Nightly News' anchor who was reassigned to MSNBC after he lied about his war reporting in Iraq, hosted 'The 11th Hour' for five years before retiring in December.
In October, MSNBC president Rashida Jones said she was still “figuring out” what the network’s primetime lineup would look like once Maddow stepped down. Jones said a major goal for Maddow and MSNBC is finding the best home for the anchor’s content across the company’s portfolio.
