Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan joining The Guardian

Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan is joining The Guardian as a columnist, the outlet announced on Wednesday.

In his first entry for the organization, Hasan called for President Biden to “pick up the phone” and urge Israel to end the bombing in Gaza.

“I have been poring over columns in the Guardian since I was a teenager. Now I get to write some of my own, in what is perhaps one of the busiest and biggest news years of my lifetime,” Hasan said in a statement. “It’s a huge honor and a privilege.”

Hasan hosted a weekend show in prime time on MSNBC, which was canceled late last year as part of a broader shakeup across the network’s weekend programming.

One of the network’s most outspoken liberal pundits, Hasan was hired by MSNBC in 2021 and was sharply critical of Israel’s war effort in his final months at the network.