President Donald Trump celebrated the termination of Joy Reid’s show “The ReidOut” on MSNBC, using his platform on Truth Social to voice his opinion on Sunday, February 23, 2025. He described the host as a “mentally obnoxious racist” and claimed she “should have been ‘canned’ a long time ago.”
MSNBC has declared significant programming shifts due to take place in April 2025, with Reid’s exit signaling a notable change in MSNBC’s evening schedule.
Reid will present her final episode this week as part of a wider programming revamp, in line with the strategy outlined by the new President of MSNBC, Rebecca Kutler.
Reflecting on her time at MSNBC, Reid expressed gratitude for her team and the impact of the show, saying, “So very proud of The ReidOut team, who are truly family, and all of our supporters and friends.”
She confessed to having “no regrets” about being vocal on various issues during her tenure as a critic of Donald Trump, during her first public response to her departure from MSNBC. She appeared visibly emotional during the announcement.
She shared her feelings of “anger, rage, disappointment… guilt over my team losing their jobs” during a 10-minute appearance on the “Win With Black Women” podcast on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
Her outspoken liberal views have seen criticism for comments about white people, including references to “white tears” and her belief that white women “failed to show up” to back former Vice President Kamala Harris in the previous election.
Trump, writing on Truth Social, claimed that MSNBC had “finally gotten the nerve up to fire one of the least talented people in television,” while extending his critique to other MSNBC personalities and the network’s management.
He also had harsh words for Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, whom he labeled a “lowlife.” He accused MSNBC of being “an illegal arm of the Democrat Party” and suggested the network should pay “vast sums of money” for its alleged transgressions against the nation.
Reid’s departure has resulted in mixed reactions. Supporters praised her for offering a platform for discussions on race, culture, and social justice. Critics, including Trump, welcomed the show’s cancellation.
The ReidOut, which started in 2020, held extensive interviews with politicians and people of interest. With Trump resuming his role in the White House, her exit comes at a time when Trump continues his contentious relationship with mainstream media.
MSNBC’s reshuffle comes amidst significant ratings challenges. After the 2024 election, the network experienced a 46% drop in viewership compared to the first 10 months of 2024, whereas Fox News saw a rise in viewership, capturing a 70% share of the cable news audience post-election, the largest in its history.
Reid’s 7 p.m. slot will be replaced by a new panel show featuring Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, and Symone Sanders-Townsend, who will host a weekday ensemble news program, including a two-hour version on Mondays.
Other significant adjustments to MSNBC’s lineup include the cancellation of Alex Wagner’s 9 p.m. show. Wagner will remain with the network as a senior political analyst. Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki will host the 9 p.m. hour Tuesday through Friday, while Rachel Maddow will occupy the Monday 9 p.m. slot.
MSNBC is also shifting its production operations to New York and Washington, D.C., closing its Miami office and canceling shows like “José Díaz-Balart Reports” and “The Katie Phang Show.” The network has plans to establish its own Washington Bureau as part of the separation from NBC News.
Despite these changes, experts believe they don’t necessarily indicate a major shift in the network’s coverage. The evening lineup is anticipated to remain staunchly anti-Trump according to reports.
The programming adjustments reflect MSNBC’s efforts to adapt to changing viewer habits and the shifting media landscape. The network is working to strengthen its news-gathering operations by adding correspondents and bureaus, particularly as it prepares to separate from Comcast and become a standalone publicly traded company.
Despite post-election difficulties, MSNBC has shown signs of potential recovery. The network saw a 60% increase in primetime viewers during the week of Trump’s inauguration, with 1.3 million viewers compared to just under 800,000 in the previous three weeks. However, MSNBC’s ratings are still slightly below its pre-election average of 1.34 million viewers.
Changes at MSNBC go hand in hand with similar modifications at CNN, which is undergoing a revamp to integrate CNN.com and digital video. These industry-wide changes occur as more consumers opt out of pay-TV subscriptions.
Trump’s critique of MSNBC is part of a larger pattern of media confrontations. The president recently secured a $15 million settlement from ABC News and a note of regret in a defamation case involving George Stephanopoulos. He is also suing CBS and its owner, Paramount, over alleged deceptive editing of Kamala Harris’s “60 Minutes” interview before the election.
Additionally, the Trump-appointed FCC chairman has launched an investigation into Comcast and NBCUniversal’s diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, hinting at potential regulatory pressure on MSNBC’s parent company.
As MSNBC embarks on a new programming strategy, the network’s ability to retain viewership and stay competitive in the cable news market remains to be seen. The changes represent one of the most significant overhauls in the network’s recent history, taking place during a period of political transition and transformation in the media industry.
