Former ‘CBS Mornings’ executive producer joins MS NOW as political director

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Shawna Thomas, who exited CBS News earlier this year, has joined MS NOW as political director.

MSNBC announced Wednesday that Thomas will now head its political team, overseeing all campaign and election coverage. She will also provide analysis on the network.

Thomas is joining the progressive organization MS NOW after spending five years as the executive producer of “CBS Mornings.” She revealed she was leaving the show last month, around the same time Gayle King renewed her contract.

Thomas is one of several people—including leaders and on-air personalities—who have recently left CBS News since Bari Weiss became editor-in-chief. While Weiss has said Thomas’s departure was due to wanting to leave the demands of early morning TV, the timing follows a pattern of exits since her arrival.

Hollywood Inc.

This former CNN leader helped MSNBC rebrand itself. Now, can she do the same and make it successful as a streaming service?

MSNBC Now is owned by Versant, a company formed from parts of Comcast. Unlike its sister network, MSNBC, it’s establishing its own independent news team rather than sharing resources with NBC News.

MSNBC recently hired Peter Alexander, a veteran White House reporter from NBC News. He’ll be hosting a daily show and leading the network’s in-depth coverage of breaking news, starting later in 2024.

Thomas has extensive experience covering politics. She previously led the Washington bureau for Vice Media’s news division, where she managed political and policy coverage for the HBO show “Vice News Tonight.”

Thomas worked at NBC News for ten years, holding different positions in production and helping to plan their election broadcasts. She later worked as an executive at Quibi, a streaming service focused on short videos.

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2026-04-22 21:31