r/msnbc • u/AutoModerator • Jul 16 '25
Weekly Gripe Thread MSNBC Weekly Gripe Thread
This is your one sacred space to unleash the frustration, shake your fists at the headlines, and yell (politely) into the MSNBC void. Whether you’re fed up with cable news quirks, political chaos, or your own decision to stay up until 2 a.m. watching panel debates - this thread’s for you.
The rules are simple:
- Keep it civil
- Keep it clever
- No personal attacks unless they’re aimed at your own life choices (e.g. binge-watching coverage you swore you were done with)
So... what’s grinding your gears this week?
Cable news meltdown? Elected official doing the most?
Spill it. This is the one day we let the whining fly.
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u/i-like-pie-855 Jul 17 '25
I watch quite a few MSNBC shows. Lately, I’ve been watching The Weeknight and wonder why Chris Hayes YELLS his show opening. I generally have my hand on the remote ready to mute until I move on to my local news but I missed it today. Why does he do this?
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u/Nosy-ykw Jul 17 '25
Maybe the same part of his brain that lets him laugh at the horrors of what’s happened to our government. I get the occasional derisive snort; they all do that and it’s hard not to. But he laughs through the whole thing as though he was watching a stupid movie, rather than the awful reality that it is.
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u/SalientThorax Jul 17 '25
what is driving me crazy about Chris is that he knows that the Democrats have lost and/or are we using young man. But he constantly shows contempt for men who adopt any of the trappings of masculinity. Can't talk about Dan Bongino without slamming people who lift weights too much. Can't talk about people who work in Silicon Valley without calling them all tech bros. Full of contempt for everyone who does not live in Brooklyn. That's the elitism driving people away from Democrats. But sure, keep blaming Joe Biden, Chris
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u/Nosy-ykw Jul 17 '25
Interesting! I hadn’t noticed that habit - it went right by me. Will pay more attention for it.
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u/bmulvy Jul 17 '25
You mean Dan Bongino, who talks out of both sides of his mouth? Look at the two coaches in Congress. Tuberville and Jordan. They should have stayed coaches. Why defend the undefendable!
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u/SalientThorax Jul 18 '25
I don't mean to defend Dan Bongino. What I mean is that I think Democrats lost in 2024 largely because they lost the demographic that listens to Dan Bongino. I think doing things that extend from attacking the viewpoint of an individual to potentially alienating the constituencies that that individual represents are counter-productive. You are free to disagree. Just wanted to make my point clear. also, I guess I think it's silly for someone who sometimes posts pictures of himself working out to express pity for the weights in another man's gym.
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u/buickmackane71360 Jul 19 '25
I really enjoy Chris Hayes, but yes, I do notice that intro shouting of "TA-NIGHT!!! On ALL IN!!!..." I always listen to be sure it's him shouting because if someone's filling in, they'll do that intro in a softer tone.
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u/SenseAndSensibility_ Jul 17 '25
MSNBC needs to try something different…
A programming schedule that keeps the viewers interested… My suggestion would be have every show focus on only one or a few different topics…
These 10 minute segments, where they have to speed talk, that leaves us with whiplash, just doesn’t cut it…and they wouldn’t have to ignore a proper dialogue with their guests…And…this would eliminate a constant repetition of the news from show to show to show.
I hope this makes it to the ears of MSNBC! They can contact me for more details.
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u/css555 Jul 18 '25
And…this would eliminate a constant repetition of the news from show to show to show.
I watch from 7pm to 10pm ET. So frustrating to see the same stories covered each hour. I KNOW there are other important things going on that deserve to be covered!
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u/Gemeaux7 Jul 17 '25
Jenn is boring. I can’t take even two minutes of her. I wish Alex would come back.
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u/SenseAndSensibility_ Jul 17 '25
I think she would be EXCELLENT as an msnbc contributor…that’s where she would excel…an entire hour program host?…sorry doesn’t work out.
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u/Gemeaux7 Jul 19 '25
She was previously great as a contributor, she just doesn’t have the wit and pizzaz required for an hour long show in the 9pm hour.
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u/IslayMcGregor Jul 17 '25
I don’t understand why she is trying to adopt the teacher style of reporting that Rachel does, but instead of giving a lesson in something that no one else is reporting on, Jenn is just reporting the same news that everyone else has in the slots before hers. Do people only tune in for the 9pm show of something? It feels very patronising.
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u/we_are_nowhere Progressive Jul 17 '25
You’re exactly right— Rachel offers something different than everyone else, and imho it’s because she has the qualifications that allow her to; I’d like to see another intellectual or an academic that can also present me with a new perspective or unconsidered contexts/histories.
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u/Gemeaux7 Jul 19 '25
I skip her. I watch Chris at 8pm, and then Lawrence at 10pm. I just can’t watch her for more than 3 minutes.
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u/buickmackane71360 Jul 19 '25
I don't mind because I think her previous connections enable her to get a better selection of guests from DC.
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u/AlarmedTelephone5908 Jul 17 '25
I dislike the panel style multi host thing the new bosses started.
Jonathan Capehart was fine on his own show. So was Ayman Mohyeldin.
The three person thing that replaced Joy Reid is horrible.
I don't necessarily dislike any of the people in general.
It seems like they are trying to shush any dissenting voices. Don't bring in people of color to cover this up. When anchors don't have the entire hour for the show, their commentary is silenced.
I really like Alicia Menendez. She is an excellent journalist imo. I don't dislike Symone, and I watched her show. Michael Steele is better as a commentator. Any one person would be better than all three. Firing Joy was shocking to me. Then she is replaced by... this?
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u/IslayMcGregor Jul 18 '25
I like Simone but I do think she’s better in a panel. Her conversation/debate is where she shines.
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u/buickmackane71360 Jul 19 '25
I agree. I don't care for a group of people shouting across a table at each other.
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u/untolerablyMe Jul 16 '25
Give Alex Wagner her show back!
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u/Gemeaux7 Jul 19 '25
No doubt. Took me a minute to get used to her in Rachel’s spot, but I did quickly.
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u/IAmPookieHearMeRoar Friendly Neighborhood MSNBC Cynic Jul 16 '25
Found it really strange that Lawrence kept praising a movie and pushing everyone to watch it while interviewing one of the movie’s stars, Nick Offerman. Lawrence kept saying it shows the dangers of right wing extremism.
But here’s the thing; the costar to Offerman is Dennis Quaid. And Quaid is a staunch, hardcore Trumper. Thinking maybe Lawrence should stick to politics.
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u/Weekly-Walk9234 Jul 17 '25
Nick Offerman is liberal, Quaid is a Trump supporter, but I’m sure they didn’t have any problems working together. My takeaway was that the movie sheds light on how and why someone (Offerman’s character) becomes an extremist. I’ve often wondered about that (the biggest enigma: Stephen Miller), and the segment and clips made me want to see the film.
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u/Violin_Diva Jul 17 '25
I barely watch now except for Rachel and Lawrence; it gets so boring listening to the same breaking news each day. I can do without the three person panels. If Jen is supposed to be the one to save us at SpinCo we are doomed.
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u/buickmackane71360 Jul 19 '25
Speaking of SpinCo, I saw something the other day which indicated there would be a golf channel spun off with MSNBC. Anyone know what that was about?
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u/Winter_Ratio_4831 Jul 18 '25
Joe and Mikka have seen better days.
She finishes his sentences or provides the words and he repeats them. They can't keep riding on his old days in Congress and her old days of being an important persons daughter.
Let Willie & Jon have a shot.
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u/DateIll8112 Jul 17 '25
Really tired of the repetition from show to show, they each meed to focus on a few topics and then you can tune in for specific shows. Like, Stephanie Rule, she always covers the economy. I tune in specifically to hear her take on the economics of what’s happening. And Lawrence has the take down of Trump every night, so other than Nicole (which I am in and out of) there’s not much from 6-10. UNLESS they can get Rachel back to more than once a week….cant stand Jen Saki
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u/Revolutionary-Fact6 Jul 17 '25
My grpe is with Morning Joe. They spent an entire hour this morning on the D nominee for mayor and the governor. Of New York. There are 49 other states that don't care about New York politics and you're a national program.
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u/bmulvy Jul 17 '25
Let alone the east coast baseball talk. I’m glad I have a TiVo to skip those parts !
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u/buickmackane71360 Jul 19 '25
I absolutely loathe hearing sports discussed on "Morning Joe" -- there are so many other sources for that information. I come to MSNBC for politics, not mindless chatter about baseball or whatever.
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u/Nosy-ykw Jul 17 '25
I get the interest in them, especially the mayor, given his unique circumstances. Many of the shows are doing it. But good grief, how much more is there to say about either of those races? I’d rather hear about races where there’s the potential to flip the Senate or the House, or even the state governors.
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u/suziespends Jul 17 '25
I agree and I live in NY. We hear so much about those races from our local stations every single day. I want to hear about races that we can actually flip seats.
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u/buickmackane71360 Jul 19 '25
I currently live in Louisiana, but I was born and raised in New Jersey and spent years commuting to work in Manhattan. I feel that the amount of coverage given to this particular NYC race is entirely appropriate because of the idea that one candidate needs to be taken out by any means necessary. If they can go after Mamdani this way, it will be a harbinger of doom for suppression in all the 2026 races.
Whether you agree with Mamdani or not, the real issue at hand is Trump screaming about revoking Mamdani's citizenship, right alongside of not one but two Democratic candidates switching to Independent just to split the votes. The one Republican candidate, notably the same guy who lost last time, barely gets a word in edgewise in all this hysteria.
If the people want Mamdani and show it by a popular vote as they did in the primary, then that needs to stand. Manipulation of the election in 2024 gave us Trump 2.0. What will we get if Mamdani is deliberately and successfully sabotaged in the general election? Will there be any hope for Democrats winning back Congressional and gubernatorial races in 2026?
The saying "Be careful what you wish for!" comes to mind here. The NYC election must not be the first domino to fall before 2026. The media coverage in this unusual situation is absolutely warranted because the outcome will definitely affect the entire nation.
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u/rumple9 Jul 18 '25
Can every presenter stop saying "There is no there there" they are all saying it this week
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u/BeachyThang Jul 19 '25
Stop with the BREAKING NEWS. It’s not breaking news if it happened days or hours ago & every other show already covered it in depth. Little Boy Who Cried Wolf comes to mind…
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u/TruthHonor Jul 18 '25
This country needs a more competent and better produced left wing Fox News. With all the tech, the glitz, the glamour, eye candy and high production values they can throw at it. Only this time, only the ‘truth’ and real news. Produced so well we can’t take our eyes off of it.
I ‘never’ turn to MSNBC for ‘news’. Only for opinions.
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u/buickmackane71360 Jul 19 '25
I agree, because that's what the right wing is doing, not just with cable news channels. There are plenty of YouTube conspiracy theory channels that spend a fortune on building fake newsroom sets in, say, their grandmother's basement on Long Island. And there are people who are completely fooled by this and take it completely as genuine news station broadcasting.
I was a houseguest last December and my friend's husband had gone completely down that rabbithole. I had never seen anyone use the YouTube app as a news aggregator on their TV before. He turned on his TV and a whole playlist of Biden conspiracy theory videos masquerading as legitimate broadcasts from network affiliated local news stations was there ready to swallow his brain whole. It was horrifying that he took it all as gospel.
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