Stephanie Ruhle Breaks Into Tears During Emotional MSNBC Tribute to Late Friend Ben White: ‘I Will Miss You’

MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle broke into tears on Tuesday during an emotional tribute to frequent guest and CNBC contributor Ben White, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 52.

At the end of her show The 11th Hour on Tuesday evening, Ruhle announced:

The last thing before we go tonight, remembering our dear friend, Ben White, a frequent guest on this show and my 9 a.m. show. Long time CNBC contributor Ben White has died after a brief illness. He was just 52 years old. Ben was a truly good man, a proud father, and accomplished reporter who worked at Politico, the New York Times, and The Messenger. Ben’s partner shared the news and reminded us of how he lived as a family man, a huge sports fan rooting for the Yankees and, sadly for him, for many years, the Commanders.

During Covid, Ben was a voice of reason for us talking about the real impacts of the shutdowns on society and the economy. I had the honor of being on television with him over 100 times over the years, and every time he joined us, he helped us achieve our main goal, to get better and smarter. That was easy for him because Ben White was the very best.

I will forever be grateful for the knowledge he shared with us, but more than anything, for his friendship. This is a hard and competitive business, and having a friend in this business like Ben was a gift and I will treasure our friendship forever. Our condolences go out to his entire family and all those who are grateful to know and love him.

As Ruhle broke into tears, she concluded, “Thank you, Ben, I will miss you, and on that note, I wish you all a very safe and good night. From all of our colleagues across the networks at NBC News, thanks for staying up late. I’ll see you at the end of tomorrow.”

White’s death was announced by his partner Sara in a message on social media, Tuesday which paid tribute to his life and career.

“I’m heartbroken to tell you that Ben died on Saturday, June 1 after a brief illness,” she wrote. “He loved his family, being a journalist, rooting for the Yankees and the Commanders and so much more. He’ll forever be in my heart and will be missed by so many.”

Watch above via MSNBC.

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com