Nicolle Wallace Takes Over Hosting ‘The Beat’ After Ari Melber’s Surprise Absence

By Maddy Casale @madhoops
Published Feb. 22, 2023, 1:56 p.m. ET

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MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber did not air on Monday due to the absence of the titular host himself. Melber’s show covering the latest news, politics and culture was expected to air as usual, but when 6 p.m. ET showtime rolled around, it was Nicolle Wallace, host of Deadline: White House, who appeared onscreen. Her own show airs before Melber’s, so it initially did not appear that much was amiss.

“We bought ourselves an extra minute to finish this conversation while they ready Ari, who’s having a little bit of technical difficulty, but will be here any moment,” Wallace told viewers.

But as the minutes stretched on, Wallace was forced to stall while Melber remained absent, eventually having to take over to interview the guests that were previously scheduled for that night’s show. Wallace expressed gratitude to both the guests and viewers for their patience and willingness to adapt to the unexpected situation.

“I know you were expecting Ari, but thank you for being good sports. And thanks to all of you at home for sticking around with me a little longer than usual on this busy news day,” she said.

Understandably, viewers were confused at this inexplicable break in their regular programming, namely in Melber’s mysterious absence. After the show, many took to Twitter to comment on the odd situation:

The story initially broke on Monday (Feb. 20) when Mediaite received word from an MSNBC source about the root of Melber’s no-show: “There were technical issues with a remote camera that were unable to be quickly resolved.”

A source also told The New York Post that Melber was absent on Monday’s show “due to technical difficulties with a remote camera.” He was back to his usual anchor duties Tuesday (Feb. 21).

The Beat with Ari Melber airs on weekdays at 6 p.m. ET on MSNBC.