Former MSNBC anchor Joy Reid offered some insight into her show being shut down in a recent discussion. She suggested that both her racial identity and the channel’s discomfort over discussing President Donald Trump may have played a factor in her untimely dismissal from the left-leaning channel. Reid hasn’t been known to hold back on her suspicions despite their speculative nature, but maintains she cannot fully comprehend the thinking of decision-makers at the network.
Nevertheless, she did detail what people around her believe might be the reasons for the show’s cancellation. Both her colleagues and herself have historically and routinely expressed their critique of Donald Trump. Still, she doesn’t believe this to be the reason for the cancellation, though she disclosed a pervading sense of restlessness that she feels is shared not just at MSNBC, but across all media outlets.
The former host drew attention to similar uneasiness apparent in CBS, currently dealing with a lawsuit from Trump concerning an interview with ex-Vice President Kamala Harris on ’60 Minutes’. Pointedly, Reid’s program was taken off the airwaves earlier this year. The trend she has observed is that networks, including ABC, seem to be urging their hosts to go soft on Trump, focusing more on light-hearted entertainment, and refraining from being overly critical.
In the midst of the ESSENCE Festival Of Culture™ in New Orleans, Louisiana back in July 2024, Joy Reid voiced her views. In the aftermath of her show, a new program called ‘The WeekNight’ was introduced. The show presents an amalgamation of figures from different walks of life, including Symone Sanders-Townsend, a former spokesperson for Kamala Harris, and Michael Steele who was a former chair of the Republican National Committee, but now staunchly against the GOP.
A notable addition to the new show is Alicia Menendez, a product of scandal-riddled former New Jersey Senator, Bob Menendez’s lineage. The revamped lineup at MSNBC has evidently struggled to establish a secure footing in its debut month. In terms of viewership, it seems putting together a collection of elite names isn’t enough to ensure audience traction.
Prior to her show’s closure, Reid stated she was informed that her show had held up better in the ratings than any other on MSNBC. The cancellation came in the wake of significantly diminished primetime figures for her and her colleagues post-Trump’s election victory. Reid’s own program, ‘The Reidout,’ saw a drastic drop, losing 47% of its audience.
In terms of raw figures, the show’s numbers dwindled from an impressive average of 1.4 million viewers throughout most of 2024, before hitting a low of a meager 759,000 viewers post-Election Day. She was expressly told the performance of her show was faring comparatively better. This claim now feels like a hollow consolation, given the developments.
Despite the drastic changes, the general drop in viewership did not see significant recovery after her departure. The candid host recollected that even during her exit interview, she was kept in the dark as to why she was let go, a question that continues to baffle her even now.
Reid elaborated that the network’s justification for its decision felt rehearsed and insincere. Her commentary pointed towards some organized, behind-the-scenes action that led to the cancellation of her show. She also spoke about her cautious approach to using social media due to the underlying anxiety surrounding its use.
She carefully handled her social media presence because of the perceived tension regarding its utilization. However, the host, flying blind, could not draw any firm conclusions as she was never explicitly told why her show was cancelled.
Ultimately, the dismissal of Joy Reid and the subsequent attempts to head in an arguably different direction with ‘The WeekNight’ do not seem to have garnered the positive response MSNBC might have hoped for. A fabricated supergroup of hosts has not reeled in the desired viewer numbers. The future trajectory of the network in the wake of these changes remains to be seen.