(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
NBC News surprised everyone twice recently, first by bringing in former RNC Chair Ronna McDanieland then by ending her contract after only a few days, similar to the short tenure of White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci described, “.1 Scaramucci.”
The short time McDaniel's time at NBC was filled with drama that exceeded the length of her two-year contract. Her contributor termination came after a tense exchange with with Kristen Welker during her only appearance on the network, as well as a revolt by MSNBC’s top anchors, who openly criticized the network’s leadership and labeled McDaniel as an election denier. “The RNC aided the Trump campaign in assembling fake electors in Michigan, provided a platform for Trump lawyers to hold a news conference with Rudy Giuliani alleging a global conspiracy to rig the election against Trump, and you yourself called the election ‘rigged’ multiple times,” Welker stated on
Meet the Press , the very show where McDaniel made her only NBC appearance.McDaniel admitted that President Trump won the 2020 election and stated that her past comments and actions were part of her role as a spokesperson for the RNC.
“There is no doubt that the last several days have been difficult for the News Group. After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor,” NBCU News Group Chairman Joe Biden note to staff
days after McDaniel’s Cesar Conde wrote in a Meet the Press appearance. “No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal.” He said he took “fully responsibility” for the decision and personally apologized. From angry television anchors to potential legal issues, here are the five most extreme details — from public incidents to behind-the-scenes reporting — from McDaniel’s brief time at NBC.
MSNBC protests
Shortly after news broke of McDaniel’s contributor agreement, MSNBC anchors expressed in unison that the former RNC chair was not welcome.
Joe Scarborough
Mika Brzezinski
Morning Joe co-hosts made a personal and on McDaniel. This followed former Meet the Press ban that NBC leadership owed her an apology following her McDaniel interview. “I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation,” he anchor Chuck Todd Following Todd’s public objection, MSNBC’s most prominent stars voiced their opposition to the hire, including
Nicolle Wallace said.
Rachel Maddow , and others., Jen Psaki, The Wall all Street Journal, citing people familiar with the network drama, reported that MSNBC President
Rashida Jones initially reportedassured the anchors at her network that they had full control of their shows and were not obligated to put McDaniel on the air. Despite this assurance of editorial freedom, a wave of anchors took to protesting on air. Rashida Jones advocated for Ronna at MSNBC The surprising aspect of the Journal report is that Jones actually lobbied for McDaniel to join the network, according to an
detailed report
NBC executive reportedly took two months to convince McDaniel to join Carrie Budoff Brown from Puck’s Dylan Byers.
and NBC News President Rebecca Blumenstein . Later, Conde became involved in the discussions. Originally, the plan was for McDaniel to join NBC News for election night coverage and other events. According to Puck, Jones also expressed interest in having McDaniel contribute to MSNBC’s political coverage, despite its left-leaning programming.The expanded deal, reportedly valued at $300,000 annually over two years, would involve McDaniel appearing on both NBC News and MSNBC.
Kristen Welker meets with Ronna McDaniel
Another surprising detail from Puck’s report is that Welker was present at a meeting where McDaniel and Budoff Brown discussed her coming on board. The meeting took place between Welker and McDaniel in relation to a potential interview on
Meet the Press
, but Budoff Brown attended as McDaniel was being considered for a contributor role, based on Puck’s report. A source familiar with the meeting confirmed to Mediaite that the meeting between Welker and McDaniel was for a potential post-RNC interview. An NBC spokesperson denied Welker's involvement in McDaniel’s hiring, which the anchor also affirmed in her weekend interview with McDaniel.“As Kristen disclosed to viewers on Sunday, she was not part of the decision-making process for [McDaniel’s] hiring, or involved in discussions about a contributor contract,” the spokesperson said.
“This will be a news interview, and I was not involved in her hiring,” Welker stated in her own message during the same
Meet the Press
episode where she interviewed McDaniel. NBC executive sought support for McDaniel In the face of criticism over McDaniel’s hiring on Sunday, after her appearance on Meet the Press and Chuck Todd’s on-air criticism, Budoff Brown reached out to
Richard Walters
, a former aide to McDaniel as cited in Puck’s report. According to the report, they discussed the possibility of McDaniel’s supporters speaking out on her behalf and highlighting an alleged double standard in the backlash faced by McDaniel compared to other political figures joining news networks.Budoff Brown categorically denied discussing specific talking points with Walters, stating that she simply requested supporters to speak on McDaniel's behalf as a contributor.
“After the show, I had a conversation with Richard Walters and asked if [McDaniel] had supporters who could speak on behalf of her being an NBC News contributor. I never discussed what to say, how to say it, or who to focus on,” Budoff Brown mentioned in a statement.
Scaramuccis may equal $600,000 — or more
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of McDaniel’s brief stint as an NBC contributor is that it could turn out to be highly lucrative for her in the end.
Reportedly, McDaniel is seeking the full payout of her two-year contract, amounting to around
McDaniel may also be considering “potential defamation and hostile work environment torts,” as cited by
, so the former RNC chair might be aiming for more than $600,000. $600,000.
Even if she just got all the money from her contract, her only time on NBC would be worth around $30,000 per minute and $500 per second. So, that's a really expensive Scaramucci. PoliticoFrom angry TV hosts to possible legal issues, here are the five craziest details from McDaniel's brief period with NBC.
Even if she only received her full contract payout, her sole NBC appearance would equate to approximately $30,000 a minute and $500 a second. That’s one expensive Scaramucci.
