MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow’s salary reportedly cut by $5M despite ‘Viagra rating’ – as parent company Comcast hits ‘hard times’

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 collects $30 million a year for hosting “The Rachel Maddow Show” just one day a week on Mondays — renegotiated a $25 million salary over the next five years, The Ankler reported Thursday.

“This is a difficult time and they had to hold on to it,” 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 “appreciative of Viagra.”

An MSNBC spokesman declined to comment.

Maddow’s reported pay cut comes after panic gripped 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.

The separation of 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 it as a “secret weapon” on other shows when there’s breaking news, the outlet added.

MSNBC’s ratings have dropped 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 executives speechless.

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

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

“It turned into a giant j–k circle 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 struggling with how to move forward as “the only safe space for a liberal TV audience,” an insider said.

During the first Trump administration, MSNBC hosted “Republican-talking Democrats” like Hugh Hewitt and Nicolle Wallace, an insider said.

But the company isn’t sure how to handle the “Star Wars freak show” of Trump’s new appointees, a producer told The Ankler.

“I don’t know if holding these people would yield any useful information,” they said.

Still, MSNBC is bullish on Maddown, with one executive calling it the “Viagra ratings.”

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