In a memo, NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde told staff that he had listened to "the legitimate concerns" of many network employees. "No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned," he wrote. "Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal."

The network had only just announced four days earlier that they were bringing McDaniel on board to provide "expert insight and analysis" on politics. "It couldn't be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna's on the team," one NBC News executive told staff at the time.

But the company's on-air personalities — especially those on NBC's liberal-leaning cable affiliate MSNBC — disagreed vehemently, saying that McDaniel's promotion of former president Donald Trump's media-bashing and false election-fraud claims disqualified her from a role in their news divisions.

And one by one, they took to the airwaves to deliver that message to their bosses in front of their live audiences Monday.

"Take a minute, acknowledge that maybe it wasn't the right call," MSNBC's top-rated star Rachel Maddow said on her show that night. "It is a sign of strength, not weakness, to acknowledge when you are wrong."

NBC delivered the news of its course correction to its employees before informing McDaniel, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preserve confidence.

McDaniel was surprised by the backlash to her hiring and NBC's handling of the matter, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. She plans to hire a lawyer to deal with contractual issues.

The outrage over her appointment was indicative of the larger struggle television networks have faced in hiring pundits to offer a pro-Trump perspective without running afoul of both the audience and their own employees.