Rebecca Kutler, who stepped into her role as MSNBC President just a few months ago, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. At 46, Kutler shared this personal news with MSNBC staff during an editorial meeting on Wednesday morning. She conveyed her confidence in a swift recovery, expecting to take a brief leave of absence after receiving a promising prognosis, as reported by CNN.

Before announcing it to the wider team, Kutler had already informed NBCUniversal, MSNBC leadership, and the network’s prominent anchors. During her announcement, she emphasized the importance of personal health, encouraging her colleagues to prioritize their well-being amidst the intense demands of the current news environment, according to CNN’s Brian Stelter.

This diagnosis comes five years after the loss of her brother, Ben Kutler, who succumbed to cancer at 44 after a seven-year fight, as noted in his obituary. Rebecca Kutler was appointed as the new president of MSNBC in February, succeeding Rashida Jones, who had been at the helm of the progressive news outlet since 2021.

Shortly after starting the gig, Kutler fired Joy Reid -famed for her strident support of DEI and dislike of MAGA. In August MSNBC announced it will be renamed My Source News Opinion World – or MS NOW – after divorcing from NBCUniversal. MS NOW will first appear on screens in its new stylized form later this year.

In an internal memo viewed by the Daily Mail, CEO Mark Lazarus said the rebrand represents the new company’s focus on ‘building our individual identity and vision for the future while laying a foundation for the continued growth and success of our businesses.’ It will also see the peacock logo, long associated with NBCUniversal, be abandoned, after C-suiters decided the logo would need to stay with NBC.

Lazarus – the boss of the spinoff company being called Versant – stressed to staffers that ‘while the name will be different, the brand’s commitment to its audience will not change.’ Kutler had words for her workers as well, in a company-wide memo also obtained by Daily Mail. It appeared to hint at a fight to keep MSNBC’s old name while offering insight as to why ‘NOW’ came to be part of the new name, as it has with some streaming ventures.

‘This new branding underscores our mission: to serve as a destination for breaking news and best-in-class opinion journalism, all rooted in accurate and reported facts,’ Kutler wrote. ‘I know this announcement will be met with questions, and I want to acknowledge that for many of you who have spent years or decades here, it is hard to imagine the network by any other name. ‘This was not a decision that was made quickly or without significant debate,’ she continued.

‘Over the last eight months, we have worked to untether ourselves from NBC News and embrace our independence under Versant. ‘We’ve hired dozens of first-rate reporters and newsroom leaders and have been recruiting for nearly 100 roles across our new and nimble organization. ‘We continue to supercharge our non-linear products, achieving rapid success on YouTube, TikTok, audio, digital, live events, and more – all while aggressively developing a direct-to-consumer product.’

The new branding will debut as the network enters its 30th year, and as it continues to build up a newsgathering operation entirely independent of NBCU. Kutler recently had to step in following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. He was fatally shot in the neck during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10.

An MSNBC political analyst was thrown in the hot seat after he suggested the gunshot could have been fired by one of Kirk’s supporters. ‘[We] don’t know any of the full details of this yet,’ Dowd said. ‘We don’t know if this is a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration or… So we have no idea about this.’ Questioned by MSNBC correspondent Katy Tur, he called Kirk ‘one of the most divisive younger figures… who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech aimed at certain groups.’

Initially, the network issued a lengthy apology for his words, but he was soon fired over it. ‘During our breaking news coverage of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Matthew Dowd made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable. We apologize for his statements, as has he. There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise,’ Kutler said on X just hours after Kirk’s death and Dowd’s comments.