RACHEL Maddow has a major update. She steps down from her nightly program and Ali Velshi takes over on the renamed MSNBC Prime hour.

Maddow will not appear on the network nightly as she is focusing on other projects, including a movie.

Moving forward, Maddow will be only appearing on MSNBC Monday nights.

CNN's Oliver Darcy reported that Ali Velshi will host the 9pm hour until the end of the week. In Maddow's absence, the hour will be called "MSNBC Prime".

The Philadelphia Inquirer described it as an end to an era, having watched Maddow host the show for almost 14 years.

After its debut on MSNBC September 2008, the Rachel Maddow Show was a firm favorite on the network.

It has been the recipient of three Emmy Awards, and Maddow has received six Emmy nominations because of her work on the program.

Maddow went on hiatus earlier in the year and returned to the show in mid-April.

The host announced that she would be leaving the show to only host on Monday nights. She told fans that "We will watch how things turn out, but that is our plan at the moment."

According to reports, she is currently working on a film version with Ben Stiller of Bag Man Podcast.

However, she did mention that "for big news events, such as the leadup to the elections, I will be there more than usual, but that is the overall plan."

Despite MSNBC's best efforts, the Associated Press reported the ratings for the 9pm slot have dropped since Maddow stepped down from her role.