Watch a shellshocked Steve Kornacki take over Hardball after MSNBC's Chris Matthews retires on-air

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/MSNBC)

published 3 March 2020

Longtime Hardball host Chris Matthews made his own news on Monday night's show, announcing his retirement, effective immediately. After a commercial break, MSNBC's Steve Kornacki came on, apparently as surprised as viewers that he was taking over the rest of the show.

As Kornacki addressed the camera in apparent shock, the female NBC News staffers on the other side of the glass wall behind laughed, ate, and smiled as they worked. "We're not going to have any bells or whistles here," Kornacki said after paying brief homage to Matthews. "We do have to fill the rest of this hour. We're going to take a quick break and come back with today's news."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.