Just one day after winning an NAACP Image Award, Joy Reid’s primetime show The ReidOut has been canceled, marking the end of one of MSNBC’s highest-profile programs. The decision, part of a broader shakeup at the network, has ignited confusion, disappointment, and strong reactions from both supporters and critics.
Reid, who became the first Black woman to host a daily primetime cable news show in 2020, addressed the cancellation in an emotional livestream organized by Win With Black Women and We Win With Black Men. More than 10,000 viewers tuned in as she candidly shared her thoughts on the cancellation of her show.
Fighting back tears, Reid described the rollercoaster of emotions she has experienced since learning of her show’s cancellation.
“I’ve been through every emotion from anger, rage, disappointment, hurt… guilt, you know, that I let my team lose their jobs,” she admitted. “But in the end, where I really land and where I’ve landed today is just gratitude.”
She expressed appreciation for the outpouring of support and reflected on the impact of her work.
“Just pure gratitude,” she continued. “Not just because people would take the time to get on a call like this or to take care of me, but also that my show had value and that— I’m sorry— that what I was doing had value.”
Reid also stood firm in defending the issues she covered during her tenure, from the Black Lives Matter movement to the war in Gaza to presidential overreach.
“I am not sorry that I stood up for those things, because those things are of God.”
MSNBC announced that Symone Sanders-Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez—the trio currently co-hosting The Weekend—will take over Reid’s 7 p.m. slot Tuesday through Friday, as well as a two-hour Monday night show from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Reid’s departure is part of a much larger restructuring at the network. The changes follow the departure of MSNBC’s former president Rashida Jones, with Rebecca Kutler now stepping in to lead the network’s next chapter.
Critics of the cancellation have pointed to a troubling trend at MSNBC.
“Every time MSNBC has a ‘shakeup,’ the Black woman solo-led show is ALWAYS the first to go,” journalist Danielle Moodie remarked.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate Reid’s firing, calling MSNBC “fake news” and demanding they “pay vast sums of money” for their reporting on him. He personally attacked Reid in a baseless rant, labeling her a “mentally obnoxious racist.”
Reid had, in fact, cultivated a loyal audience and generated viral moments through her pointed critiques of politics and media. Whether addressing white women’s voting patterns or comparing Trump supporters to Islamic extremists, she consistently delivered viral, headline-making commentary.
Though her future in media remains uncertain, Reid’s influence in political discourse is undeniable. As she told her supporters Sunday night, her work is far from over.