Symone Sanders, the former chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris, has landed a new hosting gig with MSNBC.
MSNBC Sanders is joining the network as the host of a weekend program and also a show airing on MSNBC’s “The Choice” via the Peacock streaming platform.
“I wanted to be at a network that had an already established record in the streaming world and would have a show on streaming and on linear and was one that wasn’t just an experiment,” Sanders told Variety during a recent interview.
“I’m going to bring my whole self to this show. I am a young woman, a young woman of color. I’m a Black woman, a young Black woman from the midwest, from Nebraska. Yes, I have done politics, but I’m also a consumer of pop culture,” she added to the outlet. “I’m turning on the news in the car, but I’m also DVR-ing the ‘Housewives.’ There is a space for that to intersect.”
The announcement comes a month after Sanders revealed she would be exiting the White House. Harris’ team has been rocked by claims of an “abusive environment.”
Sanders previously served as a senior adviser for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign.
“Symone has served honorably for three years. The President and Vice President are grateful for Symone’s service and advocacy for this Administration. She is a valued member of the White House and a team player — she will be missed,” a Harris spokesperson told CNN.
The hiring is one of the first big programming moves by MSNBC’s president, Rashida Jones.
Jones previously served as the network’s senior vice president for and succeeded longtime network president Phil Griffin. The appointment made Jones the first Black female executive to run a major general news cable network.
“After the presidential election, Phil and I spoke about his desire to depart at a time of his choosing and when he felt confident about the strength of the network he loves,” Cesar Conde, the chairman of the NBCUniversal Newsgroup, wrote in a memo obtained by The Washington Post.
