Rachel Maddow admitted she’s confused by MSNBC’s upcoming new name, “MS Now,” announced Monday as part of the network’s split from NBCUniversal.
“I honestly have no idea how to pronounce ‘MS Now’—and I’m not even sure about ‘Versant’ either,” she told Variety, referring to MSNBC’s soon-to-be parent company.
MSNBC is officially dropping the “NBC” from its name as it parts ways with NBC News.
Later this year, the cable news channel will rebrand as MS NOW — short for My Source for News, Opinion, and the World. MSNBC first launched in 1996 as a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC, with the “MS” nodding to Microsoft. Even after Microsoft sold its stake, the name stuck — until now.
The change comes as parent company Comcast spins off most of its cable channels into a new company called Versant, set to launch later this year per CNN. NBCUniversal will keep the broadcast network, the iconic peacock logo, and CNBC, which retains its name due to its global licensing and long history as the Consumer News and Business Channel.
In short, MSNBC is cutting ties with NBC and moving forward under a new brand identity: MS NOW.
Still, Maddow said the separation is a positive step: “What NBC is doing with its legacy timeslots is totally different from the 24/7 independent news operation we’re now able to build thanks to the spin-off.”
MSNBC acknowledged the change may feel strange to longtime viewers, but promised that its mission and style of coverage will stay the same.
Looking for a silver lining, Maddow joked that the name is at least shorter: “We’re dropping our syllable count from five to three—an efficiency gain!”
Rachel Maddow is a political commentator, author, and longtime anchor on MSNBC, best known for The Rachel Maddow Show. Born in 1973 in Castro Valley, California, she studied public policy at Stanford and earned a doctorate in politics from Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Maddow began her career in radio before joining MSNBC in 2008, quickly becoming one of the network’s most recognizable voices. Known for her sharp analysis, detailed storytelling, and progressive perspective, she has covered major political events, scandals, and investigations, often shaping national conversation. In 2022, she scaled back her nightly hosting duties to focus on special projects, including documentaries and podcasts. Maddow has also authored best-selling books, such as Drift and Blowout, examining U.S. politics and energy policy.
