British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan has broken his silence over news that his MSNBC show has been canceled, and offered a glimpse at what he’ll be doing next.
The former host tweeted Friday, “Yes the @MehdiHasanShow has ended on @peacock & will be ending on @MSNBC *next* month (still a few weeks left!) Thank you all for watching over the past 3 years. Going forward at @MSNBC, I’ll serve as a guest anchor across prime shows and beyond, & as an on-air political analyst.
He added, “Thanks for the outpouring of love and support, & thanks of course to my amazing, talented team of producers on the @MehdiHasanShow. I’m humbled and so appreciative. I’m not going anywhere and you’ll hear from me lots in 2024.”
Hasan will be replaced by an extra hour of Ayman Mohyeldin’s show, according to MSNBC.
Hasan, a British-born son of Indian immigrants and a practicing Muslim, has been very vocal about the Israel-Hamas war, and has condemned Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza.
After Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Hasan posted, “Hostage-taking of civilians is a war crime. What we’re witnessing in the Middle East right now are multiple war crimes. Some of us condemn war crimes there, regardless of whether the perpetrators are Israeli or Palestinian. Some only condemn war crimes by Palestinians.”
According to Newsweek, “Social media users are speculating whether MSNBC’s decision to cancel Mehdi Hasan’s show was politically motivated or not as the journalist has been highly critical of Israel and raised concerns about the treatment of Palestinians.”
Progressive politicians like Rep. Ro Khana (D-CA) denounced MSNBC’s move and questioned the timing.
“It is bad optics for MSNBC to cancel @mehdirhasan’s show right at a time when he is vocal for human rights in Gaza with the war ongoing. As a strong supporter of free speech, MSNBC owes the public an explanation for this decision. Why would they choose to do this now?” Khana tweeted.
Kahana was retweeted by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
Cancellation of The Mehdi Hasan Show is part of a weekend overhaul at MSNBC, that begins Jan. 13. The network plans to debut a new show called The Weekend that will be hosted from Washington, D.C., by MSNBC anchors Alicia Menendez, Symone Sanders-Townsend, and Michael Steele.
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