‘There was no warning’: Joy Reid is speaking out about how she was fired from MSNBC
Surprised that Joy Reid was pulled off the air back in February?
So was she.
The former MSNBC anchor is speaking out about how she found out that her show “The ReidOut” was, poof, gone.
During a new interview on “The Breakfast Club” with Charlemagne tha God, Jess Hilarious and guest host Lauren Larosa, Reid reveals that her bosses reassured that her numbers were adequate just two weeks before the ax came down.
“They were like, ‘You guys lost less than your competitors, and you’re actually doing fine,’” the ex host said, adding, “The ratings have not gotten better since I left. So it wasn’t numbers.”
Reid, a former Miami Herald columnist, didn’t initially find out that she no longer had the gig from network honchos, but from a news article. The Feb. 22 Puck News “scoop” rumored her primetime show was “vulnerable.”
Early the next morning, management texted her that they needed to talk to her at noon. Hours later, she was unemployed.
“I was fired immediately, there was no warning,” said the Emmy nominee. “They said, ‘Oh, like, we just want to make some changes.’”
Among the other talent let go in the MSNBC bloodbath: Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart and Ayman Mohyeldin.
Reid said she believes discussing “uncomfortable” topics like Gaza and Donald Trump (because he is “suing everybody”) may have contributed to the decision to let her go.
“Joy Reid is leaving the network and we thank her for her countless contributions over the years,” MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler wrote to staff upon the cancellation of “The ReidOut,” adding that the nightly program had recently received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding News Series.
Soon after the pundit’s firing went viral, the mother of three called in to “Win With Black Women” podcast.
“I’ve been through every emotion from, you know, anger, rage, disappointment ... guilt, that I let my team lose their jobs,” Reid said, tearing up. “But in the end, where I really land, and where I’ve landed on today is just gratitude. Not just because people would take the time to get on a call like this or to take care of me. But also that my show had value.”
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 12:45 PM.
