Rebecca Kutler, the president of MSNBC, has received a diagnosis of breast cancer. Fortunately, her prognosis for recovery is positive and she anticipates being off work for only a few weeks, as confirmed by the network.
On Wednesday morning, Kutler shared her diagnosis during MSNBC’s editorial call with the staff. She had previously disclosed this information to executives from NBCUniversal and MSNBC, in addition to the network’s leading anchors.
CNN was the first to report on Kutler’s cancer diagnosis. Kutler, a mother of three, also encouraged her team to prioritize their health and well-being, especially amidst a challenging news landscape, as noted by CNN’s Brian Stelter.
Kutler, a former executive at CNN, was appointed president of MSNBC in February, taking over from Rashida Jones, who had been at the helm of the progressive news channel since 2021.
MSNBC is currently undergoing significant transitions: it is preparing to become part of Versant, the spin-off that will encompass most of NBCU’s cable networks, with the finalization of this deal expected by the end of 2025.
As a result of this separation, MSNBC will rebrand as “MS NOW” (My Source for News Opinion and the World) and eliminate the peacock from its branding. Furthermore, MSNBC and NBC News have started to disentangle their operations; from October 6, domestic and international NBC News will cease to be featured on MSNBC. NBC News correspondents in Washington, D.C., will still make appearances until October 20, at which point MSNBC will independently manage its news coverage and standards.
Mark Lazarus, the CEO of Versant, praised Kutler’s appointment as president of MSNBC earlier this year, asserting that she possesses “the strategic vision and necessary leadership skills to ensure MSNBC meets its brand goals and grows during this period of industry evolution.”
Kutler joined MSNBC as the senior vice president of content strategy in 2022, following an extensive career at CNN. At CNN, she was an executive producer for notable personalities including Don Lemon and John King and contributed to the development of other figures such as Abby Phillip, Van Jones, Chris Wallace, Audie Cornish, and Kasie Hunt. She was also set to assume a prominent position with CNN+, the streaming service which was discontinued shortly after its launch by Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company.
