MSNBC’s The ReidOut is officially on the chopping block, and the fallout from its cancellation is already making waves within the network. During a tense virtual meeting with staff, MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler confirmed that Joy Reid’s show would be axed as part of a broader programming shake-up.
But for the staffers left blindsided by the news, the message was clear: their jobs were being terminated, though they could reapply for other roles within the network.
The announcement came as a shock to many employees, who reportedly first learned about their fate from media reports rather than network leadership. One frustrated staffer confronted Kutler directly, asking, “So to make this explicitly clear, we are being terminated currently with the option to apply within the company, right?” Kutler’s response? A direct confirmation. While she acknowledged the mishandling of communication and expressed disappointment over how the news was delivered, the damage had already been done.
MSNBC is positioning the cancellation as a strategic shift rather than a political decision. Kutler insisted that former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House had nothing to do with Reid’s departure, emphasizing that the move was based purely on “data analysis and programming strategy.”
In other words, MSNBC is scrambling to salvage its ratings, which have struggled to keep up with competitors in the increasingly crowded cable news landscape.
The network is attempting to soften the blow by encouraging displaced staffers to apply for more than 100 new positions set to be posted this week. Kutler even suggested MSNBC will have more employees six months from now than it does today, though that claim remains to be seen.
As for what comes next, MSNBC has confirmed that Reid’s 7 p.m. slot will be temporarily filled by a rotating panel of hosts until a permanent replacement is decided.
Reports suggest the leading contenders are Symone Sanders Townsend (a former Biden staffer and Democratic strategist), former RNC chairman Michael Steele, and journalist Alicia Menendez—the daughter of embattled former Senator Bob Menendez. The trio currently co-hosts The Weekend, a show that airs on Saturdays and Sundays.
Meanwhile, MSNBC is still waiting on Joy Reid to decide whether she’ll deliver an on-air farewell. Kutler said the network was deferring to Reid on how she wanted to handle her final broadcast, but it’s unclear if she’ll take the opportunity to sign off on her own terms.
