MSNBC host Rachel Maddow publicly criticized her own network for canceling Joy Reid’s primetime show, “The ReidOut”, calling the decision “a bad mistake” and “indefensible” during her Monday night broadcast.
Maddow expressed frustration over the shake-up, stating, “I do not want to lose her as a colleague here at MSNBC.” She also took issue with the broader network overhaul, arguing that recent firings—including Reid’s—reflect poorly on MSNBC’s management.
MSNBC’s Programming Shake-Up Under Fire
Reid’s departure is part of a larger restructuring led by MSNBC’s new president Rebecca Kutler, who has also overseen changes affecting Alex Wagner and Katie Phang. Maddow condemned the move, voicing concern over MSNBC’s demand that staff from canceled shows “reapply” for new positions—calling it “unnerving” for employees now facing job uncertainty.
MSNBC plans to replace Reid’s 7 p.m. slot with a rotating panel show featuring Symone Sanders-Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez starting in April. Meanwhile, Reid has remained defiant, telling a podcast audience that she is “not sorry” for her past on-air rhetoric.
Network Faces Internal and Viewer Backlash
The backlash within MSNBC highlights the tension between longtime hosts and management as the network struggles with falling ratings and a shift in strategy. Maddow’s complaints add to the ongoing discontent among liberal commentators, who see the changes as a signal that MSNBC is trying to move in a different direction.
While some argue that the firings are necessary business decisions, others—like Maddow—view them as an unjust shake-up that threatens the network’s ideological consistency. Regardless, MSNBC’s struggles with ratings and content direction suggest that more changes may be on the way.
NO JOY: MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in the wake of Joy Reid’s show being cancelled: “I think it is a bad mistake…”
She then accuses MSNBC bosses of being racist:
It’s “unnerving” to see the network’s decision to cancel shows hosted by nonwhite anchors: “That feels indefensible.” pic.twitter.com/qBXhsYwmkX
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 25, 2025