MSNBC host Ari Melber went dark during Monday’s broadcast of “The Beat” because of a technical snafu — forcing his colleagues to jump into the anchor’s seat.
Viewers who tuned in expecting to see Melber at 6 pm were instead greeted by Nicolle Wallace, the host of MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House,” which airs in the time slot before “The Beat.”
Wallace said that Melber was experiencing “a little bit of technical difficulty” and initially told views that he was expected to “be here any moment.”
But Wallace continued hosting for nearly a half-hour longer than usual as the issues remained unresolved. At one point during the broadcast, Wallace said production staffers were working “madly and furiously” to get Melber connected.
“Thanks to all of you at home for sticking around with me a little longer than usual on this busy news day,” Wallace said as she signed off.
“Here’s what’s going to happen next. I promise, we got you. We have to fit in a quick break and then you’re in for a treat. The one and only Ali Velshi will pick up our coverage live from Ukraine, where everything happened today,” Wallace added.
Velshi took over the rest of the hour live from Kyiv, where the local time was 1:30 a.m. He said he was filling in for Melber but did not elaborate.
A network source told The Post that Melber’s absence was due to technical difficulties with a remote camera. He will return to anchor duties on Tuesday night, the source added.
Mediaite was first to report on Melber’s absence.
Melber, 42, has anchored “The Beat” since its debut in 2017. He also serves as MSNBC’s chief legal correspondent.
Last Friday, Melber was one of two panelists on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.”