Former Biden Spox Bombs With Key Demo In New MSNBC Prime-Time Slot After Only One Episode

After a hyped debut, MSNBC’s latest offering, “The Briefing,” hosted by former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, is tanking where it matters most: the key 25-54 age demographic.

Psaki’s second episode on Wednesday saw viewership plummet — shedding nearly half of her total audience and more than half in the advertiser-coveted demo, Fox News reported. “The Briefing” pulled in just 65,000 viewers in the 25-54 group Wednesday night, down from 139,000 the night before, according to the outlet. Total viewership also dropped to 1 million from 1.2 million. (RELATED: ‘Quite Fearless’: Jen Psaki Can Barely Contain Herself While Fawning Over Letitia James During MSNBC Interview)

Psaki bombs: MSNBC’s newest primetime program sheds 53% of viewers from key demo in second episode https://t.co/JlnUpN4Yjg

— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 9, 2025

Reruns of “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” and even “Paw Patrol” outperformed Psaki with younger adults, according to the outlet.

Fox News’ Sean Hannity continued his dominance with 2.64 million total viewers and 312,000 in the demo Tuesday night — more than quadrupling Psaki’s numbers in both categories. Even CNN’s struggling lineup beat her in the demo, with Kaitlan Collins drawing 75,000 viewers aged 25 to 54, the outlet reported.

MSNBC had handed Psaki the coveted 9 p.m. slot Tuesday through Friday, previously home to Rachel Maddow’s flagship show. Maddow now only airs on Mondays. At the time, Maddow praised Psaki’s insider status, claiming her Beltway connections would make the show better than ever.

While Maddow averaged nearly 2 million viewers and held steady in the demo, Psaki has already shed over 50% of that audience, according to the outlet.

Despite the weak start, Psaki has leaned into progressive politics on air and in interviews — recently calling a potential second Trump term “the most dangerous presidency in my lifetime.” She’s also said she plans to spotlight far-left up-and-comers like Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) and Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow.