Well, well, well—looks like MSNBC is cleaning house, and Joy Reid is the latest casualty. Who could’ve seen this coming? Oh, that’s right—anyone paying attention to her ratings nosedive and the fact that her show had become little more than a glorified echo chamber for Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Reid, whose career has been built on inflammatory rhetoric and a near-obsessive hatred of the former president, is officially out, and MSNBC is attempting a course correction. Or, at least, as much of a course correction as a network that proudly brands itself as the DNC’s personal propaganda arm can muster.
Reid’s 7 p.m. slot is being replaced by a new panel show featuring Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, and Symone Sanders Townsend—so, basically, more of the same, just with slightly different faces. Michael Steele, the former RNC chair who has since turned into a professional Never-Trumper, is likely there to provide the illusion of “balance,” but let’s be honest—this is MSNBC we’re talking about. Their idea of diversity is having multiple people agree on the same left-wing talking points while patting themselves on the back for their so-called “courageous journalism.”
Reid’s departure marks the first major shake-up under MSNBC’s new president, Rebecca Kutler, who apparently believes that doubling down on their already deeply partisan programming is the way forward. MSNBC’s problem has never been a lack of progressive firebrands—it’s that their audience is shrinking because the entire act has grown stale. The network spent four years screaming about Trump being an existential threat to democracy, only to have him return like the political equivalent of Michael Myers. And what’s their response? More of the same Trump hysteria, but this time with different hosts delivering the same tired doomsday sermons.
Joy Reid, aka the race lady at MSNBC, just had her show cancelled because it was unwatchable. Good riddance to the most vitriolic, lowbrow, and unhinged race hustler ever allowed on national television. pic.twitter.com/MwXI9RDtOv
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 23, 2025
Reid has had a long and, let’s say, eventful career at MSNBC. She started off hosting AM Joy before landing the 7 p.m. slot in 2020, at which point she became one of the most unhinged voices in cable news. From pushing bizarre race-baiting narratives to openly cheering for conservatives to suffer, Reid was never exactly subtle about her disdain for roughly half the country. But let’s not forget her past controversies—like those conveniently “hacked” homophobic blog posts she wrote before becoming a progressive icon.
Remember that? Back in 2017, when old posts surfaced showing Reid mocking gay people, trafficking in 9/11 conspiracy theories, and making all sorts of comments that would get anyone else permanently canceled? Instead of taking accountability, she first claimed her blog was hacked—a claim that was quickly debunked—before eventually offering a half-hearted apology. But, of course, since she checked the right ideological boxes, MSNBC stood by her, proving once again that the rules only apply when convenient.
And speaking of declining ratings, it turns out MSNBC has been hemorrhaging viewers, particularly since Trump left office. According to Nielsen Media Research, Reid lost nearly half her audience following Trump’s departure, with MSNBC overall seeing a massive 53% drop in primetime viewership. Turns out that when your entire brand revolves around fearmongering about one political figure, losing that boogeyman makes for some seriously unwatchable television. Desperate to keep her job, Reid reportedly even took a major pay cut, though that still wasn’t enough to save The ReidOut from the chopping block.
Trump just DESTROYED NBC, MSNBC, Rachel Maddow, and Joy Reid pic.twitter.com/nx9JxLOgrM
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 24, 2025
But don’t worry—MSNBC isn’t suddenly shifting to the middle. Instead, they’re doubling down on their left-wing lineup, promoting former Biden administration mouthpiece Jen Psaki to primetime and giving airtime to Symone Sanders Townsend, another Democratic operative masquerading as a journalist. The network is also expanding its Washington bureau because, apparently, what America really needs is more hyper-partisan political commentary disguised as news.
Goodbye!
Joy Reid has been FIRED. Turns out calling your political opponents racist Nazis every night for an hour doesn’t get viewers pic.twitter.com/yFjPiAmRuY
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 23, 2025
Reid’s departure is just another sign that the legacy media is in trouble. They spent years propping up activists disguised as journalists, mistaking Twitter trends for real-life concerns, and vilifying half the country. But the problem with building your brand entirely around hating Trump is that it leaves you with nothing once the outrage cycle burns out. MSNBC may be trying to shake things up, but if this is their idea of reinvention, they’re in for a rude awakening.
