Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, is in advanced talks with MSNBC to join the network after she leaves the Biden administration, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.
Ms. Psaki could leave the White House as soon as next month, one of the people said.
While the details of her role are still being discussed, the negotiations have centered on an arrangement in which she could host shows both for MSNBC and for Peacock, the streaming platform of MSNBC’s parent, NBCUniversal. Ms. Psaki could also make regular appearances on other MSNBC shows as well as on NBC News, the people said.
Though a deal is not yet final and could still fall apart, Ms. Psaki is now talking only with NBCUniversal officials, the two people said. CNN had also been pursuing her, one of them said.
Axios earlier reported the news of Ms. Psaki’s discussions with NBC.
“We don’t have anything to confirm about Jen’s length of planned service or any consideration about future plans,” a White House statement said. “Jen is here and working hard every day on behalf of the president to get you the answers to the questions that you have, and that’s where her focus is.”
Shortly after Ms. Psaki joined the Biden administration as President Biden’s first press secretary, she said she would stay in the position for about a year. She worked as White House communications director during the Obama administration and was the chief spokeswoman for John Kerry when he was secretary of state.
Ms. Psaki revived the daily White House briefing, a tradition that mostly fell by the wayside in the Trump years, and has won praise for her adroit, if sometimes evasive, handling of reporters’ questions.
Her spiky exchanges with the Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy are often shared widely on social media platforms. On TikTok, the phrase “Psaki Bomb” is invoked by liberals who enjoy seeing her rebukes to Mr. Doocy’s queries.
The road from a role in the presidential communications ship to a job in television has been taken numerous times. Nicole Wallace, a communications director in former President George W. Bush’s White House, hosts a two-hour afternoon program on MSNBC. Sean Spicer, former President Donald J. Trump’s first press secretary, now co-hosts a show on Newsmax; and Kayleigh McEnany, Mr. Trump’s last press secretary, is a co-host of an afternoon show on Fox News.
The expansion of streaming TV content — with dozens of viewing hours that now need to be filled — has opened even more space. NBC hired Vice President Kamala Harris’s former spokeswoman, Symone D. Sanders, this year to host a show for MSNBC and Peacock.
Michael D. Shear contributed reporting.
Source: NY Times
