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Alex Wagner's MSNBC Debut Plagued by 'A Case of the Technical Gremlins'

As her new show launched, Wagner faced teleprompter and graphics issues.
  • MSNBC's Alex Wagner Tonight got off to a rocky start on Tuesday, as the words host Alex Wagner read off the teleprompter didn't match the graphic onscreen.

    Wagner began by discussing the stories she would be covering, saying, "Tonight, the FBI warrant used to search Mar-a-Lago is unsealed. The three potential crimes laid out in that document..."

    Meanwhile, the graphic next to her showed footage of Republican Representative Liz Cheney, who lost her Wyoming primary to a Trump-endorsed candidate.

    Wagner quickly realized something was wrong, as she hesitated and continued, "We'll dive into what it means, and what could happen with one of the Wall Street Journal Reporters who was first to report on the contents of that warrant."

    After another pause, Wagner said, "Then we'll t— then we'll talk with— we, we're gonna go right— we are actually gonna go right to the top story tonight."

    Finally, Wagner got around to Cheney's election, with the teleprompter then matching up to the graphic.

    Later in the segment, Wagner addressed the technical issues, saying, "Yes we sure did have a case of the technical gremlins at the top of the show, but this is the first one, so we'll work it out. And now, I think we've gotten it all under control. We hope the rest of the night will be smooth sailing, America, but this is live TV, and it has its charms."

    Alex Wagner Tonight airs Tuesday through Friday at 9:00 PM ET on MSNBC, in the The Rachel Maddow Show's former time slot.

    Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.

    TOPICS: Alex Wagner, MSNBC, Alex Wagner Tonight