MSNBC gives Alec Baldwin his own chat show Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria Thomas arrive at the funeral for Actor James Gandolfini at the Cathedral of Saint John the Devine in New York City on June 27, 2013. Gandolfini rose to fame as crime boss Tony Soprano on the "The Sopranos." 5 (UPI) -- U.S. actor and activist Alec Baldwin is to serve as the host of a weekly current events and culture talk show, MSNBC announced Thursday. "Up Late w/Alec Baldwin" is to air Fridays from 10-11 p.m. ET., starting in October. The announcement was made by Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC. "After two seasons of my WNYC podcast, I've developed a fondness for hosting a show that involved talking with smart, talented and engaging people in every imaginable field," said Baldwin in a statement. I'm grateful to MSNBC for helping me bring a similar show to television. "I've been talking with Alec for a while and can't wait to bring his personality and eclectic interests to MSNBC," said Griffin. He's got such passion for ideas and what's going on in the world -- he's going to be a great addition to our line-up.