Chris Matthews Signs Deal to Continue 'Hardball'

Political commentator Chris Matthews has signed a new long-term deal with MSNBC to continue his “Hardball” program through the next presidential election, but the 67-year-old will retire from his syndicated Sunday program in July.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Matthews will continue to fill the 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. weekday slots on the MSNBC cable network. The finale of "The Chris Matthews Show," his Sunday morning program, will air on July 21.

“I want Hardball fans to know that I'm signing a long-term contract with MSNBC to carry on a show we started back in 1997 based on a book I wrote in 1988,” Matthews said. “To be perfectly truthful, I’d be doing what I do on the show – talking and arguing politics – for nothing even if it weren’t on the air.”

Matthews is the author of six books, including the recent “Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero.” He's currently working on a book about former President Ronald Reagan and his relationship with former House Speaker Tip O'Neill.

MSNBC President Phil Griffin called Matthews an “institution.”

“He's as identified with this network as anyone,” Griffin told The Hollywood Reporter. “There’s nobody smarter about politics than Chris. He has what I think is so important to succeed in this business, particularly in cable. He lives, breathes and relishes everything about politics. His enthusiasm and his passion and how he gets angry over it is all what makes him so good.”