A memo from the network's executive director informs employees that NBC News has formally severed its brief association with former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel.
"There is no doubt that the last several days have been difficult for the News Group," NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde began Tuesday in a copy of the memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
"After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor."
Conde issued an apology to his staff and acknowledged that the hiring of McDaniel had frustrated the objective of a "cohesive and aligned" newsroom.
"I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down," Conde wrote. "While this was a collective recommendation by some members of our leadership team, I approved it and take full responsibility for it." He continued, "Our initial decision was made because of our deep commitment to presenting our audiences with a wide diverse set of viewpoints and experiences, particularly during these consequential times.
"We continue to be committed to the principle that we must have diverse viewpoints on our programs, and to that end, we will redouble our efforts to seek voices that represent different parts of the political spectrum."
A network insider told Fox News Digital that, "There was virtually no way out of this situation but to reverse the decision."
They further stated that while MSNBC figures spearheaded the demonstration, a significant number of NBC employees who deemed McDaniel unsuitable for a non-partisan network also supported it.
According to a close associate of McDaniel, who requested anonymity in order to speak more freely, she learned of her termination from media reports and has not received word from NBC as of yet, according to Fox News.
The appointment of McDaniel, which was announced by NBC last Friday, incited a strong backlash from the network's most prominent celebrities.
The barrage of on-air criticism directed at McDaniel by Chuck Todd began after she made her NBC début on Sunday's "Meet the Press."
"I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation, because I don't know what to believe," Todd told "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker. "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?"
Monday, MSNBC's biggest personality, Rachel Maddow, informed viewers that McDaniel "will not be on MSNBC."
"The fact that Ms. McDaniel is on the payroll at NBC News – to me, that is inexplicable," Maddow said. "I mean, you wouldn't hire a wise guy; you wouldn't hire a made man, like a mobster to work at a D.A.'s office, right? You wouldn't hire a pickpocket to work as a TSA screener. And so I find the decision to put her on the payroll inexplicable, and I hope they will reverse their decision."
Nicolle Wallace, Joy Reid, Jen Psaki, Lawrence O'Donnell, Joe Scarborough, and Mika Brzezinski, among others, joined the chorus of internal detractors who attacked their employer on air.
