Longtime far-left MSNBC pundit and primetime host Rachel Maddow joined the third hour of NBC’s Today on Monday to hawk her new book — which ironically warns of rising fascism on the far-right in the mold of those who supported Hitler and Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s — but also so NBC could fawn over her as some bastion of truth for 15 years now on MSNBC.
Longtime weather man and climate change activist Al Roker was particularly enthralled, wondering how the show’s changed in 15 years and how he tells “journalism students” to look up to her and watch her monologues to improve their craft.
After Maddow finished touting her book likely aimed at having readers live in fear of their right-of-center acquaintances, Roker lobbed this softball:
The Rachel Maddow Show has been on, as we said, 15 years. Now, when you first started this show, how — how has the show changed from when you first started it 15 years ago? I know you’re on only now once a week on Mondays. But generally speaking, how has — has the show had to change?
Of course, Roker and co-hosts Sheinelle Jones and Dylan Dreyer made no point to mention her years of falsehoods and role as chief propagandist of Trump-Russia collusion.
Maddow instead chuckled about how what’s changed has been her age:
MADDOW: The host has gotten old. [LAUGHTER] That has happened visibly. I look at some —
SHEINELLE JONES: Oh, please. Please.
MADDOW: — for the 15th anniversary, the people go back and say they, oh, remember when you started. And I just think, oh, wow, look, collagen.
[LAUGHTER]
JONES: [inaudible]. It’s okay. We all feel that way.
Roker became even more nauseating: “I tell a number of students when they ask me who do I like to watch, you know, and — journalism students, and I say watch Rachel Maddow's opening segment because it is a story. It’s a lesson in story telling and that you think where is she going, but then you get there, and, it’s, like, wow.”
Again, no use of the l-word (liberal), the other l-word (leftist), or p-word (progressive). If a Fox News host were promoting a book or in the news, it’d be a safe bet NBC would apply the conservative or hard-right label.
Maddow was happy to accept the valentine and expand on her supposed deep, fact-based knowledge while Jones and Roker added mmhmm’s of agreement:
Thank you. I — you know, I tell you — you know, people getting in the business, I say if I have one piece of advice for you, it is read widely. Read outside just the day's news. Try to read book-length thoughts. Try to think about things in complex terms. The American people need adult-level discussions, at complex levels and people are really capable of absorbing even dark stuff, even perplex stuff.
The final seconds dithered away with Jones wondering how she stays sane: “Do you do yoga or something?...I’m like, seriously, what do you do? Pilates? Ice cream?”
Maddow’s answer, with photos at the ready for a fawning Roker to highlight? Fishing.
To see the relevant transcript from October 16, click “expand.”
NBC’s 3rd Hour of Today
October 16, 2023
9:29 a.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Rachel Maddow Live in Studio 1A]
AL ROKER: The Rachel Maddow Show has been on, as we said, 15 years. Now, when you first started this show, how — how has the show changed from when you first started it 15 years ago? I know you’re on only now once a week on Mondays. But generally speaking, how has — has the show had to change?
RACHEL MADDOW: The host has gotten old. [LAUGHTER] That has happened visibly. I look at some —
SHEINELLE JONES: Oh, please. Please.
MADDOW: — for the 15th anniversary, the people go back and say they, oh, remember when you started. And I just think, oh, wow, look, collagen.
[LAUGHTER]
JONES: [inaudible]. It’s okay. We all feel that way.
ROKER: And I tell a number of students when they ask me who do I like to watch, you know, and — journalism students, and I say watch Rachel Maddow's opening segment —
JONES: Mmmm.
ROKER: — because it is a story. It’s a lesson in story telling and that you think where is she going, but then you get there, and, it’s, like, wow.
MADDOW: Thank you. I — you know, I tell you — you know, people getting in the business, I say if I have one piece of advice for you, it is read widely.
JONES: Mmmm.
MADDOW: Read outside just the day's news.
ROKER: Mmhmm.
MADDOW: Try to read book-length thoughts. Try to think about things in complex terms. The American people need adult-level discussions —
ROKER: Right.
JONES: Yeah, they do.
MADDOW: — at complex levels and people are really capable of absorbing even dark stuff —
JONES: They want stuff.
ROKER: Yeah.
MADDOW: — even perplex stuff, as long as it’s well-presented.
JONES: It’s good to — do you do yoga or something? How do you, like, [inaudible]?
DYLAN DREYER: Yeah, [inaudible].
JONES: I’m like, seriously, what do you do? Pilates? Ice cream?
MADDOW: I fish. I fish.
JONES: You fish?
ROKER: Yeah, she does. Okay.
MADDOW: I'm not good at it, but —
JONES: Oh, you do? I didn’t know that.
DREYER: [Inaudible]
ROKER: Yeah, but that's not the point.
MADDOW: Right.
ROKER: It’s being —
MADDOW: That’s called fishing, not catching.
ROKER: Yeah, that’s right. [LAUGHTER] Excellent!
MADDOW: Oh, good.
ROKER: Rachel, thank you so much.
MADDOW: Great to see you, guys.
