Joy Reid, the most outspoken host on progressive news channel MSNBC, is leaving the network.
Reid, who signed a new contract with the Comcast-owned channel last year, will have her final show this week, according to two people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to comment publicly.
An MSNBC representative declined comment on Reid’s status.
Reid, 56, occasionally made Comcast executives uncomfortable with her harsh critiques of President Trump and his supporters. Her exit will be seen as another example of TV news divisions reining in journalists and commentators who are viewed as hostile to the Trump administration.
CNN effectively pushed out daytime anchor Jim Acosta, who is notoriously tough on Trump, by offering him a midnight shift. He chose to leave instead.
Reid joined MSNBC as a daytime host in 2014 and took over the 7 p.m. Eastern time slot with “The ReidOut” in 2020. Her departure is the first major move under new MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler.
Kutler is leading MSNBC as it becomes part of a new spinoff company made up of Comcast’s cable channels. She succeeded Rashida Jones, who left the network last month.
Reid’s hour will be filled by a trio of hosts, Michael Steele, Symone Sanders Townsend and Alicia Menendez. They have appeared together on the MSNBC program “The Weekend,” which debuted in January 2024.
Kutler developed “The Weekend” while serving as executive vice president at MSNBC. She also has plans to expand the daily presence of former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki, whose program currently airs on Sunday and Monday.
Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele and Symone Sanders Townsend of MSNBC’s “The Weekend.”
(Virginia Sherwood/MSNBC)
Psaki could take over the 9 p.m. Eastern time slot on nights when MSNBC’s star host Rachel Maddow is off. Alex Wagner, who has served in that role, is being pulled off the schedule but will remain with MSNBC as a correspondent.
Maddow recently returned to nightly duty to cover a second Trump administration through the first 100 days of Trump’s new term.
But once Reid leaves, the network may have to deal with the wrath of her fans and the left-leaning followers of MSNBC.
