MSNBC Reportedly Enlists Black Actors To Surround White Anchors In Video Promoting Rebrand

MSNBC is set to officially rebrand as MS NOW on Nov. 15, following a promotional video posted on Nov. 4, The Washington Free Beacon reported Tuesday. The video, which advertises the network’s new “My Source for News, Opinion, and the World” branding, features Black actors portraying everyday Americans interspersed with footage of the network’s largely White anchors.

Narrated by Rachel Maddow, the video includes a reading of the U.S. Constitution alongside images of Martin Luther King Jr., protests, the Statue of Liberty, and other symbolic visuals. Maddow’s narration emphasizes national unity: “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union… do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America,” she says, adding, “We the free, we the proud, we the brave, we the people.”

The Free Beacon identified several actors appearing in the ad, including Alex Mason, Shekaya Sky McCarthy, and Marcel Noel. Mason and Noel have previously appeared in commercials for brands such as KFC, ZipRecruiter, Target, and Allstate, while McCarthy appears to focus on comedy. The video also shows a Black woman in a military uniform hugging a child; the network has not disclosed whether she is an actor.

Anchors featured in the video include Lawrence O’Donnell, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Jen Psaki, Chris Hayes, Stephanie Ruhle, Ari Melber, and Nicolle Wallace, alongside Black anchors Michael Steele and Symone Sanders.

The rebrand will also retire MSNBC’s signature peacock logo. The network did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

In February, MSNBC canceled the primetime program “The ReidOut,” previously hosted by Black anchor Joy Reid.

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