Alec Baldwin will be hosting a new primetime talk show on MSNBC starting next month.
The 55-year-old will be hosting Up Late with Alec Baldwin at 10 pm Friday nights. The network confirmed the news Thursday on Twitter.
The deal was first reported by Mediaite last month, citing a senior source in the cable news industry with knowledge of MSNBC’s programming. However, a network source said, “We’re fans of Alec but we’ve got nothing to say regarding this unconfirmed report.”
Baldwin will conduct interviews related to culture and current events on the show. The actor is no stranger to interviewing, having conducted interviews for the WNYC podcast Here’s the Thing since 2011. His first interview was with Michael Douglas , who opened up about the throat cancer diagnosis he received in August 2010.
“After two seasons of my WNYC podcast, I’ve developed a fondness for hosting a show that involved talking with smart, talented, and engaging people in every imaginable field,” Baldwin said in a news release from MNSBC Thursday. “I’m grateful to MSNBC for helping me bring a similar show to television.”
Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC, said, “I’ve been talking with Alec for a while and can’t wait to bring his personality and eclectic interests to MSNBC. He’s got such passion for ideas and what’s going on in the world — he’s going to be a great addition to our line-up.”
The new show makes sense given Alec Baldwin’s longstanding involvement with the NBC family. Baldwin starred on NBC’s award-winning series 30 Rock for seven years and holds the record for most times hosting Saturday Night Live with 16 appearances. In 2007, he hosted the American leg of Live Earth.
Up Late will replace Lockup , the network’s prison documentary series, in the 10 pm timeslot.
Happy to welcome Alec Baldwin to @msnbc ! Up Late w/ Alec Baldwin coming in Oct. – Fridays at 10p
— Lauren Skowronski (@LaurenSko) September 5, 2013
[Photo credit: Featureflash / Shutterstock.com ]
