MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow’s Salary Reportedly Cut by $5 Million Despite Being ‘Viagra Ratings’

MSNBC cut star anchor Rachel Maddow’s annual salary by $5 million as the left-leaning network continues to reel from parent Comcast’s decision to spin off its struggling cable properties, according to a report.

Maddow – who rakes in $30 million a year for hosting “The Rachel Maddow Show” just one day a week on Mondays – renegotiated to a salary of $25 million for the next five years, Ankler reported this on Thursday.

“This is a difficult time and they had to keep her,” an executive told the news site. “No one else can do what she does. You can’t build a brand like that overnight.”

Another executive called Maddow “ratings of Viagra.”

A spokesman for MSNBC declined to comment.

A source with knowledge disputed that Maddow’s haircut was for $5 million, but would not say how much less she will make.

The pay cut comes as panic engulfed MSNBC’s 30 Rock headquarters in Midtown, as The Post reported, over Comcast’s plan to spin off its cable channels by the end of 2025.

Splitting MSNBC from NBC News could force the cable channel to change its name, logo and headquarters and could lead to layoffs.

Maddow’s new deal will keep her in the Monday night anchor chair and allow her to produce podcasts and documentaries, Ankler reported.

The network also plans to use her as a “secret weapon” on other shows when there is breaking news, the outlet added.

MSNBC’s ratings are down 54% in the days following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris — a victory that left MSNBC’s staunchly anti-Trump hosts speechless.

Ratings are down 40% from this time last year, according to Nielsen data.

“We were so Harris-propaganda that when she lost, the viewers were shocked,” an on-air commentator told Ankler.

“It turned into one giant circle j–k and echo chamber. If MSNBC wants to be of service to its viewers, they can’t keep them in fantasyland.”

Now the network’s producers are grappling with how to move forward as “the only safe space for a liberal TV audience,” one insider said.

During Trump’s first administration, MSNBC hosted “Democrats who speak Republican” like Hugh Hewitt and Nicolle Wallace, an insider said.

But the company is unsure how to handle the “Star Wars freak show” of Trump’s new appointee, a producer told Ankler.

“I don’t know that having these people on would provide any useful information,” they said.

However, MSNBC is confident about Maddow, with one leader calling her “ratings Viagra.”

Meanwhile, the network’s other star anchors, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski of “Morning Joe,” have come under fire for cozying up to Trump after years of criticizing him on air.