Ronna McDaniel seeking $600k buyout from NBC, earning $500 per second during her 'Meet the Press' appearance

The former RNC chair is likely to enter an ugly legal battle with NBC

Ronna McDaniel weighing legal action after NBC ousting: Report

Fox News' Alexis McAdams reports the latest on McDaniel's ousting from NBC. Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz joined 'The Faulkner Focus' to discuss his reaction to MSNBC hosts trashing the ex-RNC chair on air. 

NBC may be entering an ugly legal battle with former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, who the network had fired days after inking a two-year contract as a contributor. 

Fox News' Alexis McAdams reported on "The Faulkner Focus" Wednesday that McDaniel will be seeking a buyout from her contract, which was $600,000 over the two-year period, according to the source familiar with the deal.

McDaniel only made one appearance as an NBC News political analyst on Sunday's "Meet the Press," where she faced a tough grilling in a 20-minute interview by her short-lived colleague Kristen Welker. 

In other words, McDaniels could ultimately make $500 per second during her time at NBC. 

NBC'S OUSTING OF RONNA MCDANIEL REINFORCES STATUS AS ANTI-TRUMP, PRO-BIDEN NETWORK

Ronna McDaniel fired from NBC

Former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel is seeking a $600,000 contractual buyout from NBC News after being hired just days ago as a network contributor. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

It's worth noting that Rachel Maddow, one of the MSNBC stars who called for McDaniel's ouster, reportedly makes a whopping $30 million a year while only hosting her show on Mondays. 

A person close to McDaniel previously told Fox News that she found out about the termination through media reports and had not heard from NBC.

"McDaniel is already talking to a high-level media attorney who has dealt with cases like this before, and she plans to sue NBC News," McAdams told Fox News' Harris Faulkner. 

NBC NEWS OFFICIALLY DROPS RONNA MCDANIEL FOLLOWING ON-AIR BACKLASH FROM STAFF

Ronna McDaniel on NBC

Ronna McDaniel may have earned a whopping $500 per second during her sole appearance as an NBC political analyst on Sunday's "Meet the Press." (Screenshot/NBC)

NBC News first announced on Friday that it had hired McDaniel as a political analyst who was set to appear across all NBC platforms, including its left-wing sister network MSNBC.

However, that sparked fierce backlash not just from liberal viewers but from McDaniels' own new colleagues at NBC and MSNBC.

NBC'S RONNA MCDANIEL MELTDOWN MARKS LATEST NEWS OUTLET TO FACE REVOLT FROM LIBERAL STAFF FOR GOP PLATFORMING

"I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation, because I don't know what to believe," NBC's Chuck Todd told Welker after the tense McDaniel interview Sunday. "She has credibility issues that she still has to deal with. Is she speaking for herself or is she speaking on behalf of who's paying her?" 

Maddow, MSNBC's biggest star, slammed NBC's "inexplicable" decision Monday and expressed hope that the network bosses would "reverse their decision." She also confirmed speculation that McDaniel would be barred from appearing on MSNBC.

Rachel Maddow, Chuck Todd attack Ronna McDaniel

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and NBC's Chuck Todd led the ousting of their new colleague Ronna McDaniel, who was dropped by NBC News after just four days. (Getty Images/RNC)

NBCUniversial News Group Chairman Cesar Conde sent a memo to staff Tuesday announcing McDaniel was no longer with the network.

"I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down," Conde wrote in the memo. "While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it."

Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and on Twitter: @JosephWulfsohn.

Authored by Joseph Wulfsohn via FoxNews March 27th 2024