Joy Reid's MSNBC Show Canceled in Major Shake-Up

[ificandream]

Source: New York Times

By Benjamin Mullin
Feb. 23, 2025
Updated 6:09 a.m. ET

Joy Reid’s evening news show on MSNBC is being canceled, part of a far-reaching programming overhaul orchestrated by Rebecca Kutler, the network’s new president, two people familiar with the changes said.

The final episode of Ms. Reid’s 7 p.m. show, “The ReidOut,” is planned for sometime this week, according to the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The show, which features in-depth interviews with politicians and other newsmakers, has been a fixture of MSNBC’s lineup for the past five years.

MSNBC is planning to replace Ms. Reid’s program with a show led by a trio of anchors: Symone Sanders Townsend, a political commentator and former Democratic strategist; Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Alicia Menendez, the TV journalist, the people said. They currently co-host “The Weekend,” which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings.

(snip)

The programming shake-up is the first major change made by Ms. Kutler, who was appointed president this month. Ms. Kutler has been drawing up a new programming lineup to jump-start the network’s ratings, which have outperformed rival CNN but lagged behind the longtime ratings leader, Fox News.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/23/business/msnbc-joy-reid.html

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Joy Reid in New Orleans in November. Credit...Peter G. Forest/Sipa USA, via Associated Press

[Pachamama]

1. Et tu MSNBC?

This is their DEI purge - designed to look like it isn’t what it is…

Replacing Joy Reid with the trio of Symone Townsend Sanders (who I personally find awful) and Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez is a cover. This new replacement programming will sink fast and then will also be “canceled”.

[samsingh]

5. the new lineup sounds good

[Polly Hennessey]

10. For some reason, I also find Simone Sanders unappealing and uninteresting.

[katmondoo]

13. Me too

I have never liked her point of view and how forcefully she delivers it. Sometimes I just do not understand her.

[elleng]

35. Ditto.

[lapucelle]

16. Your theory might help explain why Chris Hayes still has his show four nights a week despite his low ratings. N/T

[PortTack]

18. I believe Chris Hayes is married to the daughter of an executive at NBC

[eppur_se_muova]

22. Kate Shaw, a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Supreme Court contributor for ABC News

He mentions her occasionally on his show, and has done podcasts with her.

Sheesh.

[GoreWon2000]

84. I like Chris Hayes

He's the only 1 to make the connection between the Bush 2000 coup and the tRump 2020 coup attempt. His latest book is also the #1 New York Times best seller so he certainly has a strong following.

[lapucelle]

91. Meh. I have little respect for his judgement after he platformed Tara Reade. N/T

[GoreWon2000]

94. He's the only one in the media

who gets the connection between the Bush 2000 election theft and the tRump 2020 election theft attempt

[ananda]

32. Interesting. I haven't watched cable news in years...

But DEI is the bete noir of the year, for sure.

[PatSeg]

41. I like Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez,

but I can't take much of Symone Townsend Sanders.

[NotHardly]

2. Will she get a new time slot? I always enjoyed her.

[brush]

3. IMO this is just a desperate, canary in the coal mine move as Comcast is trying sell MSNBC.

And when that happens Kutler will be out of work too instead of pulling such an obvious anti-DEI, trump pandering move...firing Joy Reid who is Black and a Woman.

[whathehell]

51. I will definitely be sorry to see Joy go..

but given that they are replacing her with two African-American hosts and two women, it's hard to see this as an anti- DEI move.

[Rhiannon12866]

76. However, those 3 are the hosts of The Weekend on Saturday and Sunday mornings. What happens to that show?

I like that show a lot, too.

[whathehell]

77. It sounds to me as if it will be the same

show, just aired five nights a week.instead of two weekend days. Someone else, I'd guess, will filling in the weekend slots.

[Rhiannon12866]

78. I really like the Weekend show, good discussion and guests.

And Joy's show is only a half hour, the Weekend show is on from 8-10AM, followed by Velshi for the next two hours. Even the hand off is entertaining.

[whathehell]

80. They seem to switch things around

a lot on MSNBC.

[Rhiannon12866]

81. It's been awhile and I've liked their current schedule, especially now that Rachel's back

And they can also call on Ali Velshi to sub for anyone and do a great job. Velshi used to have a financial show which he co-hosted with Stephanie Ruhle, but that was quite awhile ago. And I really like his weekend show.

[Gimble]

56. How in the world

is this an anti-DEI change?

[Bdub]

4. And yet another reason MSNBC is failing us

Joy’s show has been a great source of factual information and news, while countering reich wing lies and opinion shows. Funny how Morning Joe ratings tanked yet they have been allowed to stay on air yet Joy is instantly removed. Is MSNBC bowing to this fake DEI crap? This will not garner maggots/reich wingers and republikkkan viewers…ask CNN.

[radius777]

73. +1. Joy spoke the hard truths

in a way that some probably didn't like, particularly on the issue of race and on topics like Gaza. She didn't follow the 'economic anxiety' framing that some on the left prefer - instead looking at how being the 'wrong' identity (race, gender, orientation, religion, etc) plays the biggest role in most of our politics.

[Judi Lynn]

79. She was very good at her craft, and took her work seriously. My late husband, a journalist, liked her years ago.

She was excellent as soon as she appeared at MSNBC.

Your post is accurate. She didn't bow down to the monsters.

Thank you for taking the time to comment.

[LSparkle]

6. "The Weekend" works because they have 2 hours ...

Enough time for guests + my favorite segments are when the hosts just talk amongst themselves (and let down their hair so to speak). No time for the latter in an hour so you’re right, it’ll probably not work as well. I like that trio though but I LOVE ❤️ Joy!!!

[lapucelle]

7. According to Variety, they will have two hours every Monday.

The NBC Universal-backed cable network is expected to move the trio of Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele to its 7 p.m. weekday slot Tuesday through Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter, and the group on Mondays will lead two hours, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The move will have direct implications for Joy Reid, the anchor who currently fills 7 p.m. She is expected to host her last show on MSNBC this week.

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/msnbc-evening-shake-up-joy-reid-alex-wagner-1236316524/

[eppur_se_muova]

20. Meaning Chris Hayes is off one day a week ?? I wonder if he negotiated that, or was forced to accept it.

I have always liked Chris's coverage; to me he's sort of an XY version of Rachel; both fast talkers, both with facts at their fingertips (which means good research staff AND the ability to use them well). I wish MSNBC would rerun his show later at night they way they used to, and still do with three other shows.

If there's one show I'm likely to miss because of life schedule conflicts, it's Chris's. I used to watch the last half hour of his show in first run, and the first half on repeat, because I so often tuned in late.

Some on DU don't care for Chris; I'm not always sure why. I think it's mostly because he DOES occasionally invite Uglicans on the show, which is fine by me. Let these people be seen as they are, and try to defend themselves by answering pointed questions. If they don't answer the questions asked, that makes them look bad, not Chris (or any interviewer). Of course they'll try to BS their way through; there just isn't time to call them on every single thing they get wrong because they get it ALL wrong. But I admire someone who doesn't just throw barbs from behind a safe wall, but poses criticism face-to-face, and I think Chris does that more often than anyone on TV.

Also, he introduced us to Mehdi Hassan, and let him guest host a few times. Again like Rachel, he knows how to find like-minded and well-informed guest hosts. Rachel helped launch Niccole's MSNBC career in the same way (not that her resume lacked a lot, but it was all GOP to that point).

[LSparkle]

25. Hayes was doing occasional shows with live audiences right before Covid

He was really effective in that setting and I felt sad that everything shut down and he couldn't continue doing that. I don’t think he ever resumed the live shows ...

[Ocelot II]

29. I just read (listened to) Hayes' book, The Siren's Call,

and found it fascinating and insightful. I don't always watch him because his style is so manic - he often seems to be shouting - but I was really impressed with the scholarship and depth of analysis in this book. He's clearly a very, very smart guy. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/719661/the-sirens-call-by-chris-hayes/

[PatSeg]

42. Chris Hayes has been off on Mondays for quite some time

I've always liked his show. He is very intelligent and informed. I usually feel like I've learned something when I watch him.

[eppur_se_muova]

53. He's been doing a book tour. Making it permanent is a new twist. Maybe he wants it, maybe not.

I know Lawrence once asked for Fridays off, because his bicoastal commute took too much time away from his family. Maybe Chris is after something similar, even though he's in town.

If anyone knows for sure, I'd like to hear about it. I'm sure he'll mention it himself at some point.

[Woodycall]

63. And yet...

...that smarmy, grinning, Pollyannaish, "knob" Ari Melber just goes on and on and on...

Post Script:

I accidentally inserted this under the wrong comment but, oh well. As good a place as any I guess...

[PatSeg]

70. I believe he is off on Monday nights by choice

He has other projects including his podcast.

[mdbl]

8. I hope Joy lands on her feet in a better place.

I enjoyed her take on all things weird that we live in right now. In my opinion she was a good fit in that time slot but, of course, I don't know the statistics or ratings. Thanks Joy, for all the hard work.

[FakeNoose]

48. They should give Joy the 4 hours per day that are wasted on Morning Joe

Or split Morning Joe into 2 hours for him and 2 hours for Joy Reid. As it is now I never turn on MSNBC in the morning.
I think if enough viewers complain about Joy being cancelled, maybe they would do that.

[mdbl]

69. Same here. Won't watch in the morning but would if Joy were there.

[lapucelle]

9. MSNBC is in reportedly in talks with Jen Psaki, Melissa Murray, and Eugene Daniels.

What’s more, Alex Wagner, who has hosted weeknights at 9 p.m. save for a Monday night led by Rachel Maddow, is expected to be named a contributor, according to three people with knowledge of current talks. Wagner, who has been working as a correspondent across the U.S. during the first 100 days of the new Trump presidency while Rachel Maddow anchors each day at 9, is unlikely to return to her weeknight slot, these people indicated. Jen Psaki is expected to take over at least one of the hours, according to one of these people. MSNBC is also in talks with Eugene Daniels of Politico and Melissa Murray, a law professor at New York University who specializes in the regulation of sex, marriage, caregiving and reproductive rights that would have them join the network in unspecified capacities, according to one of these people.

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/msnbc-evening-shake-up-joy-reid-alex-wagner-1236316524/

[Cheezoholic]

11. Wagner is where she belongs. She is a natural and superb field reporter/commentator

Her podcast Trumpland is great.

[eppur_se_muova]

24. I think she would be a good fill-in while Rachel is doing her later hour.

Try Wagner, Steele, Melendez, and rotate in various guests as a fourth co-host. Melissa Murray would be a good choice when Wagner goes back to her previous gig.

[EarthFirst]

12. Back to their progressive roots; eh?

MSNBC will lean into its progressive roots in Trump era

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/23/msnbc-maddow-trump-programming-changes

[GreenWave]

60. But not KO to deliver the knockout blow.

[GoreWon2000]

85. Firing people of color hosts tells a different story

To say the optics of these firings look bad is an understatement. They look is so bad that it prompted Rachael to use part of her A block last night to call it out for what it is.

[hlthe2b]

14. Trump and several at Fox, MTG and other MAGATs in Congress really hate Joy Reid...

Of course, they hate Rachel Maddow too, but there is a key difference between the two.

Symone Sanders can be quite off-putting even among those who agree with her so I suspect that will be quite the target. So, no matter what righteous commentary from Michael Steele, I just don't see that working...

[Wuddles440]

15. Enjoyed her show and passion!

Going to be truly missed.

[eppur_se_muova]

21. My mom always liked her show; She had trouble following Chris and Rachel.

Somehow Joy was just ... I don't know ... more plain-spoken, at least for her ? Don't know how to put it exactly. Mom doesn't keep up with politics very well, but she does try to follow the news. I think most of MSNBC is too much "inside" politics for her; for me, it's just my speed. I used to watch Joy a lot, especially when she started out with a 2-hr show. But it got to seem redundant with the other shows, which were a little more densely paced, and when I cut my total viewing time, Joy was the one I could best do without, a little reluctantly.

For those of us in CST zone, she's not in a very good time slot. Coincides with either preparing or eating dinner. I hope the mugwumps at MSNBC consider that in interpreting ratings; I suppose they do, going by percent of audience vs competition.

[forgotmylogin]

26. I agree: Joy's reporting is more accessible.

Joy Reid is great at summarizing what normal viewers need to know, where Rachel gets "down in the weeds" and give you the entire history and roots of why political events occur.

[eppur_se_muova]

31. Nicely put. As a scientist, of course I want to know why. Not everyone does, at least not in detail.

[IrishBubbaLiberal]

17. DAMN. Joy is one of THE BEST.. MSNBC Owners gone to The Dark Side. Who is next to go??

Joy is an extremely excellent host.

So MSNBC is starting its PURGE

This is just the beginning, Who’s next?

[LSparkle]

28. And they're giving us more Psaki? No thanks ...

She was an effective press secretary but I don’t care for her as a host. Too much of an insider for my taste (especially post-election) and the name of her show even acknowledges that.

[bdamomma]

68. it better

Not be Lawrence. He's great. That's that convicted felon who doesn't want hear truth. Really fuck him.

[TomJulie]

19. I Tried Watching Her Show...

but couldn't stand listening to her.

[Bayard]

23. I like Joy a lot

Much more than Psaki or Wagner.

[yorkster]

33. Same here.

If 9pm is up for grabs, I wish they'd pick Ali Velshi, if he wants it.

[radius777]

74. He doesn't - Ali likes being the proverbial '6th man'

who comes in off the bench for whomever is out ... or likes working in the field... he also has a weekend show. Ali has iirc always said he likes it this way.

[yorkster]

83. If that's the case, then he's where he wants to be.

I usually record his weekend programs.

[GoreWon2000]

86. I like Ali too.

[Pucks mom]

27. MSNVichy

[rickford66]

30. Instead of one on one with Joy and a guest

we'll have three hosts who talk over each other. They are all fine on their own, but not much really gets said with three at once. One more show I'll skip. Right now I never watch before 1:00 PM, occasionally before 4:00 PM. Nicolle when she's not giggling over what a guest is trying to say. I skip Ari as soon as he starts the Hip Hop. I turn off Chris as soon as he's so excited he's practically shutting out whatever his guest is there for. Joy, Jen and Rachel in that order are good. Lawrence is the best. I have friends who have quit watching most of MSNBC now.

[yorkster]

55. I notice that with Nicolle as well.

Miss what was said.

[Sneederbunk]

34. Why not replace Sanders with Reid in the trio?

[tulipsandroses]

36. More reason for me not to pay to watch MSNBC

Joy and Lawrence were the only must watch shows on MSNBC

[camartinwv]

37. I love Joy Reid. This is MSNBC pandering to Magats and Trump. Smells like what they did to Medhi Hasan..

[womanofthehills]

92. Joy put out a statement

Among other things- she thought they were upset about her sympathies to Black Lives Matter and the Palestinian people.

[happy feet]

38. Another capitulation to

the orange menace and right wing. They've called for her firing for years because she doesn't bite her tongue vis a vis them.
Stopped watching MSNBC evening lineup after election night totally.
I only watch Lawrence the next morning during my daily walk, anyway. Peek at Rachel once in a while. On alternate media now.

[Alice B.]

39. No! I love Joy Reid!

The new lineup is fine; I just wish they weren't getting rid of Joy Reid.

[mjvpi]

40. Personally, I like her show a lot. MSNBC has fired some great hosts over the years.

Ed Shultz was a blue collar, pro union hot head. We could have used his voice this last election.
Phil Donahue was tapped into the anti war movement before the Iraq war. He spoke truth to power.
Mehdi Hasan is a great journalist. MSNBC couldn’t risk having an outspoken journalist during the destruction of Gaza.

My biggest problem with Ms Reid is that she is on at the same time as Dean Obidala on Sirus XM

[BumRushDaShow]

46. "Ed Shultz was a blue collar, pro union hot head."

Ed Schultz was a former rightwinger who became a lefty but then later got roped into Putin-propaganda RT and became anti-Democratic party (like Cenk).

How Ed Schultz transformed from MSNBC lefty to the American face of Moscow media

December 20, 2016

By Paul Farhi

(snip)

In mid-2015, MSNBC handed Schultz his last paycheck. After six years on the air, the ratings of his daily program, "The Ed Show," were soft and MSNBC was going for more news in Schultz's time slot, not opinion. His daily radio show had ended the previous year.

So Schultz went back to his lakefront home in Detroit Lakes, Minn., and took stock. At 61, after a lifetime in broadcasting, he concluded he wasn't done. In early 2016, he returned to television, albeit in an unlikely place and role for a guy who once styled himself as a "prairie populist." He became the lead news anchor for RT America, the domestic network of what was once known as Russia Today, a globe-spanning multimedia organization funded by the Russian government.

Schultz, in other words, went to work for “Putie.”

(snip)

Fake online news, allegedly generated by Russian sources? Schultz, a North Dakotan who once considered running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, thinks it’s all “fear and hype” by the American news media and a smear by the Democratic Party, especially Clinton. “If they [the American media] want to go after fake news, they can start with the Clinton campaign and their accusations” about Russian involvement, he said on a broadcast in September.

[Woodycall]

64. Don't forget Keith Olbermann and Dylan Ratigan

[LetMyPeopleVote]

43. For this thread

I normally do not read the NYT but I saw this link.

Link to tweet

Here is a blueskye link

Joy Reid’s evening news show on MSNBC is reportedly being canceled in a major shake-up

— Phil Lewis (@phillewis.bsky.social) 2025-02-23T12:05:56.106Z

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/23/business/msnbc-joy-reid.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zE4.inGq.L7RUpnRIbgSK&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

The final episode of Ms. Reid’s 7 p.m. show, “The ReidOut,” is planned for sometime this week, according to the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The show, which features in-depth interviews with politicians and other newsmakers, has been a fixture of MSNBC’s lineup for the past five years.

MSNBC is planning to replace Ms. Reid’s program with a show led by a trio of anchors: Symone Sanders Townsend, a political commentator and former Democratic strategist; Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Alicia Menendez, the TV journalist, the people said. They currently co-host “The Weekend,” which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings.

An MSNBC spokesman, Richard Hudock, declined to comment. Ms. Reid declined to comment.

The programming shake-up is the first major change made by Ms. Kutler, who was appointed president this month. Ms. Kutler has been drawing up a new programming lineup to jump-start the network’s ratings, which have outperformed rival CNN but lagged behind the longtime ratings leader, Fox News.

I would love to see Rachel come back full time but I do like Psaki

That is no longer the case. Instead, MSNBC is planning to appoint a new anchor to fill Ms. Wagner’s spot, the two people said. A likely candidate for that hour is Jen Psaki, a former White House press secretary in the Biden administration, who hosts shows on Sunday at noon and 8 p.m. on Mondays, the people said, though adding that this decision hadn’t been finalized.

[Silent Type]

44. Sorry to hear that. Do like idea of a panel discussion and the three suggested hosts.

[PatrickforB]

45. Interesting. I have stopped watching MSNBC completely. Nor do I ever watch CNN, and certainly NEVER FOX.

All three of these houses are publicly traded, so the bias of the senior network executives is NEVER about truth in news. They do not owe us that. Instead, according to the legal doctrine of shareholder primacy, established in a 1919 MI Supreme Court ruling against Henry Ford, their ONLY fiduciary responsibility is generating PROFITS for shareholders.

That is is. Just profits.

I like Joy just fine, and Rachel, but when Trump was elected by hook and crook (oh, he DID cheat with the help of Eyore Musk and his teenage hackers, and the truth of this will eventually come out when this lawless bunch has faded into history), both my wife and I stopped watching MSNBC. Oh, she tried - she watched Rachel one Monday when she was still on only Mondays, and had a panic attack. After this, we stopped watching it.

Instead, we are calling our US Senators and representative nearly every day to protest whatever the latest Trump/Musk stupidity de jour is.

[JohnSJ]

47. What were her ratings?

[tulipsandroses]

50. Post election, MSNBC's ratings were down in general for all the shows.

Thus I don't see how they could use ratings as a rationale.
People were still in mourning, shocked, the post election post mortems were too much for some people. They tuned out. Myself included. I canceled my sling subscription, I mainly only had it to watch MSNBC.
I've always thought that eventually the ratings would have picked up. trump 2.0 will be a shit show. People were going to tune in to see the shit show. Myself included. I listen to MSNBC on iTunes. Mostly only Lawrence, Joy and occasionally Niccole. Eventually, I was planning to renew my Sling subscription. Unless Joy is moved to another time slot, I absolutely will not renew my subscription. I will still listen to Lawrence on iTunes. Not spending one dime to watch MSNBC.
Joy recently started a Youtube channel. I wonder if she knew this was coming? That channel, is more light hearted than her tv show though.
I'll continue to follow independent journalists. I watch Roland Martin and Don Lemon on Youtube. I love that Don Lemon is no longer constrained. Jim Acosta is doing his own thing now too.
Fuck MSNBC and anyone capitulating to MAGATs.

[spooky3]

54. Here are some data:

https://ustvdb.com/networks/msnbc/shows/reidout/

[Bengus81]

65. Hell...her ratings are higher than Morning fucking Schmoe

Why was she fired and not those two? After his trip to Whore-a-lago his rating TANKED to 171,000 viewers. It came back up somewhat but not the same rating as in the last year.

He and MeeKa should have their asses fired.

[rsdsharp]

49. When Sanders Townsend sashays out from behind the desk I change channels.

Will either of the other two even get to speak? I’ll never know.

[Tootbsb]

52. Why is anyone shocked by what the fascist owner of that network does?

How many times do you have to believe your own lying eyes.

[Joinfortmill]

57. Rachel gone after Trump's first 100 days

Not looking good.

[Bengus81]

67. O'Donnell and Hayes will quit if she's fired

Then that POS network will be done,but hey BSNBC brass.... you made Trump happy!

[GoreWon2000]

87. Rachel will still be on on Mondays

after the first 100 days. Rachael's not going anywhere. She recently signed a new contract.

[mzmolly]

58. I'll miss Joy.

She had an excellent program. I hope she'll land on her feet and we will continue to have her voice.

[appmanga]

59. Melissa Harris-Perry, Tiffany Cross, now Joy Reid...

...some people might see this as a pattern of outspoken black women on that outlet being expendable.

[GoreWon2000]

88. A disturbing pattern to say the least!

[mahina]

61. Her work has been outstanding. I hope I'm wrong about why this was done.

It reads like a signal to the bullies, and that makes my stomach turn. It's hard to miss. I hope that's not at the heart of this. She deserves better and so do we.

I don't know why this was done.

[ificandream]

62. I don't think this was racial, but I'm not sure why this was done, either.

Wasn't the biggest fan of Joy Reid, but she sure beats a lot of those out there. Hopefully we hear more soon about where this ends up for her.

[GoreWon2000]

89. Everyone fired is a person of color

[ificandream]

93. I see that now.

Gave Trump and Fox what they wanted. Damn.

[bdamomma]

66. oh fuck

Is it who anyone who speaks about the felon gets cancelled for telling the truth????? I am an avid watcher of Joy and her guests. Just really sucks.

Such bastards/

[runnergirl]

71. It had become our favorite show post election

A catharsis every day because she didn't hold back one bit. I don't know what to do now.

[radius777]

75. Joy was one of the few strong black voices on the network,

most of the other hosts are white liberals. It's not their fault she was canned, her ratings were down, but all of the ratings iirc have been down post-election as viewers took a break from politics.

Joy has been on MSNBC for many years now, was a frequent guest on Chris Matthews back in the day, then got a weekend show (AM Joy) and then her evening show after Tweety was forced out.

Joy is a sharp political talent who has her share of fans, especially amongst black women, who are the base of the Dem party.

It's a disgrace she would be let go - at least move her to another slot or bring back her weekend show.

[MichMan]

82. Symone Sanders and Michael Steele aren't Black?

How is this decision racially motivated?

[GoreWon2000]

90. Just look at who was fired

they're all people of color, Joy, Alex, Jonathon, and Ayman.