Joy Reid’s time at MSNBC has come to an abrupt end. The liberal network has cancelled her 7 pm show, The ReidOut, as part of a sweeping shake-up led by its new president, Rebecca Kutler.
Reid, a longtime MSNBC fixture and one of the most vocal critics of US President Donald Trump, will sign off for the last time this week. Her slot will be replaced by a new panel show co-hosted by Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, and Symone Sanders-Townsend, according to The New York Times.
MSNBC has not publicly commented on the decision, but sources say it is part of a broader revamp under Kutler, who took over the network earlier this month. The changes come as MSNBC looks to rework its programming strategy amid shifting political dynamics and declining ratings.
Reid, 56, has been with MSNBC for over a decade, starting as a weekend host in 2016 before taking over the 7 pm slot in 2020. She was known for her passionate speeches and strong criticism of Trump and his Republican supporters.
However, her ratings have struggled. Nielsen Media Research revealed that in the months following Trump’s re-election, Reid’s viewership dropped by nearly half, part of a broader decline in MSNBC’s primetime audience. In December, she was reportedly forced to take a steep pay cut from her $3 million annual salary to keep her job.
Reid has also been at the centre of controversy. In 2017, a series of homophobic blog posts from her past resurfaced, in which she criticised gay marriage and spread conspiracy theories. She initially claimed her blog had been hacked but later issued an apology, saying, “I genuinely do not believe I wrote those hateful things because they are completely alien to me.”
Despite the backlash, MSNBC stood by her at the time, calling the posts “not reflective of the colleague and friend we’ve known.”
Kutler, a former senior CNN executive, is making other bold moves at MSNBC. Alex Wagner’s 9 pm show is also being axed, with Rachel Maddow returning to five nights a week for the first 100 days of Trump’s second administration. Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki is expected to take over one of the primetime slots during the week.
Kutler has made it clear that MSNBC is entering a new era, especially as it prepares to be spun off into a separate publicly traded company along with other NBCUniversal cable networks. Plans are already underway to establish a new Washington bureau, with major hires expected in talent, newsgathering, and content strategy.
Joy Reid’s firing has drawn mixed reactions. Conservatives celebrated the cancellation of The ReidOut, calling it “good riddance,” while liberals expressed disappointment over the decision.