For the past week, Rachel Maddow‘s been a constant presence in the homes of MSNBC viewers. But on Friday night, the host will not be sitting at the news desk.
In a statement shared to Twitter, The Rachel Maddow Show host said that starting tonight she will be off the air after a potential exposure to COVID-19. “Everything happens, all at once,” the news anchor said. “I have had a close contact test positive for COVID—I’ve tested negative thus far but will be at home quarantining ‘til it’s safe for me to be back at work without putting anyone at risk.”
She continued, “You will be in good hands tonight with Nicolle [Wallace] and Joy [Reid] and Brian [Williams] and Great and Good Mr. [Steve] Kornacki and the whole MSNBC crew. See you soon! Wishing everyone patience and calm; may these remarkable times bring out the best in all of us.”
The journalist’s break from the news desk comes at an admittedly inopportune time. As the 2020 U.S. presidential election wages on, Americans are waiting with bated breath for updates from states that are still counting votes.
According to NBC News, the results are still too close to call, but former Vice President Joe Biden is currently leading President Donald Trump.
