Stephanie Ruhle Taking Brian Williams’ Old MSNBC Slot

MSNBC morning anchor Stephanie Ruhle will claim the cable news network’s 11 p.m. slot that Brian Williams stepped away from in December as he wrapped up a 28-year run at NBC. Williams had hosted The 11th Hour With Brian Williams on MSNBC for six years, which gave him a landing spot at the network after he was suspended in 2015 from his plum job as NBC’s Nightly News anchor for telling phony war stories. The 9 a.m. hour Ruhle has hosted until now will be taken over by Morning Joe, adding a fourth hour to the program co-hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. “This expansion will give us an opportunity to extend the reach of the program, which has become so well known for its signature perspective and analysis, as well as its news-making exclusive interviews with top lawmakers, senior government officials and thought leaders,” MSNBC chief Rashida Jones said in a memo sent out on Thursday morning about the “significant programming updates.”