MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow sidelined after "close contact" tests positive for coronavirus

The host will be "quarantining ’til it’s safe for me to be back at work without putting anyone at risk"

Published November 6, 2020 7:43PM (EST)

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 14: Television host Rachel Maddow arrives for a lunch hosted in honor of Prime Minister David Cameron at the State Department on March 14, 2012 in Washington, DC.  (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 14: Television host Rachel Maddow arrives for a lunch hosted in honor of Prime Minister David Cameron at the State Department on March 14, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on Variety.

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Rachel Maddow, the most-watched anchor on the MSNBC lineup, will come off the air for a period of time after a close contact tested positive for coronavirus.

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"I've tested negative thus far, but will be at home quarantining 'til it's safe for me to be back at work without putting anyone at risk," Maddow said in a message posted Friday on social media. MSBNC declined to elaborate on the statement.

Maddow's 9 p.m. weeknight berth is the linchpin of the MSNBC primetime lineup, and she has had a key role in the cable news outlet's coverage of the 2020 election. She has been anchoring hours of programming along with Brian Williams, Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid.

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Wallace, Reid and Williams are expected to continue without Maddow. "Wishing everyone patience and calm; may these remarkable times bring out the best in us," said Maddow. "See you soon!"

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More to come . . . 


By Brian Steinberg

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