Greta Van Susteren parts ways with MSNBC

Cable news host Greta Van Susteren is leaving MSNBC nearly six months after joining the network.

“I am out at MSNBC,” Van Susteren tweeted Thursday afternoon.

In a memo to employees, MSNBC President Phil Griffin called Van Susteren “a well-regarded television veteran and one of only a few broadcasters who can say they’ve hosted shows at all three major cable news networks.”

“We are grateful to her and wish her the best,” he said.

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Vanity Fair first reported that Van Susteren is leaving her daily 6 p.m. show as of Thursday, and she will be permanently replaced by Ari Melber. He will take over the 6 p.m. slot next month.

Griffin noted that Melber, MSNBC’s chief legal correspondent and host of the “The Point” on weekends, has previously filled in for the channel’s prime-time hosts. 

Van Susteren’s show struggled to gain traction in ratings, Vanity Fair reported. Despite the recent success of other MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell, Van Susteren’s show fell behind concurrent shows on Fox News and CNN during its time slot.

In an interview last month with The New York Times, NBC News Chairman Andy Lack hinted that the show was in troubled waters, but projected optimism.

“It’s not breaking out. Everybody wants every new show to break out Day 1. I think it takes time,” Lack said at the time.

Van Susteren took over MSNBC’s 6 p.m. time slot in January, four months after leaving her longtime position at Fox News.

Vanity Fair reached Van Susteren on Thursday by phone, but said she had no comment.