On Sunday, media broadcaster Medhi Hasan announced he was leaving MSNBC.
In late-November, the network announced the cancellation of Hasan's show on MSNBC. Hasan was slated to become an "on-camera analyst and fill-in host" for MSNBC, according to a Semafor report.
"It's been an absolute blast doing this live show on MSNBC for the past three years with an amazing team of producers behind me and with all of you watching at home," Hasan said during his final broadcast on Sunday. "Its been a privilege, its been a pleasure."
"But, as we begin 2024 with an election coming, a war still ongoing, and too many Trump trials honestly to even keep track of, and with this show going away, I've decided that it's time to look for a new challenge," he added.
"Tonight is not just my final episode at The Medhi Hasan Show, it's my last day with MSNBC," he continued. "I've decided to leave."
Hasan said he was "proud" of the work he and his team had accomplished with the network.
"I can't thank you all enough for tuning in, and your support, and your feedback," Hasan said. "New year, new plans."
In place of Hasan's time slot on the network, MSNBC will launch The Weekend beginning on Jan. 13.
“The Weekend will provide thoughtful analysis and coverage from three trusted voices familiar to the MSNBC audience,” the network said in a press release. “The program will deliver in-depth commentary and thought-provoking conversations on the state of democracy, particularly as the 2024 presidential election kicks off. It will also feature interviews with newsmakers, including reporters, thought leaders and politicians.”
Fellow MSNBC host Chris Hayes said Hasan's departure from the network was "a huge loss."
The former MSNBC host has made a series of controversial statements throughout his career including a 2009 video in which Hasan referred to non-Muslims as animals.
"In Islam, the ends do not justify the means. This idea is totally alien to Islam. In Islam, what halaal is halaal; what is haraam is haraam," Hasan said while discussing the Quran. "We do not bend our law, or morality, for short-term aims. Never. And we never lose the moral high-ground."
"We know that keeping the moral high-ground is key," he continued. "Once we lose moral high-ground we are no different from the rest, of the non-Muslims; from the rest of those human beings who live their lives as animals bending any rule to fulfill any desire."
Hasan previously worked as a researcher and television producer before being appointed senior editor of the New Statesman in 2009. Hasan later became the political director of The Huffington Post in 2012. That year, Hasan also became a presenter for media outlet Al Jazeera.
