MSNBC is canceling Joy Reid's 7 p.m. show on the network in an apparent effort to eliminate low-rated programs and replace them with shows people might actually watch. The final episode of The ReidOut will air sometime this week, after which a trio of MSNBC weekend anchors—former Kamala Harris adviser Symone Sanders, anti-Trump "Republican" Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez, the daughter of former Democratic senator and convicted felon Bob Menendez—will take over the time slot.
Variety reported last week that MSNBC was poised to announce major programming changes that would reflect the network's eagerness to "maintain its progressive stance, rather than trying to tack towards middle ground." Viewed in this context, canceling Reid's show was a logical step, given the host's reputation for sober analysis and pragmatic centrism, not to mention her preternatural ability to connect with normal working-class Americans.
During the 2022 election, for example, Reid was one of the first media personalities to acknowledge that the word "inflation" was "not part of the normal lexicon" for most Americans until nefarious Republicans "taught people the word" in order to attack Joe Biden. Following Trump's victory in 2024, Reid channeled the anxieties of working Americans who couldn't believe that Harris had lost despite waging a "flawlessly run" campaign and being endorsed by Queen Latifah, who "never endorses anyone." Reid expressed shock in 2020 when a Latino congressman suggested "Latinx" was not "the preferred term" among actual Latinos.
These insightful remarks persuaded MSNBC to give Reid an annual salary believed to be in the range of $3 million. Network executives clearly valued her cerebral reporting and "in-depth interviews with politicians and other newsmakers," according to the New York Times. In November, for instance, Reid interviewed a Yale psychologist who argued Democrats were "entitled" to shun their Trump-supporting family members because it "may be essential for your mental health." For reasons that defy explanation, Reid was one of the lowest-rated hosts on MSNBC. Last Thursday's episode of The ReidOut drew just 59,000 viewers in the coveted 25-54 age demographic. For the sake of comparison, Laura Ingraham's competing 7 p.m. program on Fox News drew 389,000 viewers in the demographic. The vast majority of MSNBC viewers are memory care patients whose home health aides forgot to turn off the television, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis.
Reid's sway at MSNBC was such that the network didn't even bother to figure out what really happened to Reid's old blog after internet sleuths uncovered a series of bigoted posts in 2017. Reid accused "hackers" of having "accessed and manipulated" her blog to post hateful content—targeting gays, Jews, and Muslims—that was "fabricated." She urged the FBI to investigate. The results of the alleged investigation were never released, but Reid was promoted to a full-time host in 2020. Some might view the cancelation of Reid's show as a blessing in disguise because it will allow the tenacious journalist to spend more time hunting down the real hackers and bringing them to justice.
Alas, there is likely a more sinister explanation for Reid's departure from the MSNBC airwaves. She is a proud and outspoken black woman. Many have already suggested white supremacy is to blame, especially since the news comes several weeks after another proud black woman—former MSNBC president Rashida Jones—allegedly resigned from the network. Another woman of color, Alex Wagner, was expected to return to MSNBC in April to resume hosting the 9 p.m. hour, but that plan has been scrapped. Jen Psaki, a white woman who served as Biden's press secretary, is now widely expected to take over that time slot for at least one night per week. It remains to be seen what MSNBC's alleged anti-blackness means for the future of Al Sharpton, the notorious anti-Semite who still hasn't been fired after his nonprofit group received $500,000 from the Harris campaign before Sharpton interviewed the candidate in October 2024.
Fans of diversity, equity, and inclusion might take comfort in the news that MSNBC is also reportedly considering Politico reporter Eugene Daniels as a candidate to host the 9 p.m. time slot at least one night a week. Daniels was widely predicted to be the "breakout star" of the 2024 election, but he ended up being one of the biggest losers. The self-described "walking Beyoncé encyclopedia" has become a minor liberal celebrity within the Beltway bubble. Best known for his flamboyant attire, Daniels excelled at laundering Democratic talking points while covering the Harris campaign, but it seems unlikely he will ever be able to match the exceptional passion and journalistic integrity of Joy Reid.
May her memory be a blessing.