MSNBC created headlines this week with the announcement that the show hosted by Joy Reid — The ReidOut — was ending.
Reid has hosted the program since 2020 after the departure of Chris Matthews from the network.
The reaction to the news that Joy Reid would be exiting the daily lineup at MSNBC — from conservative media members — was akin to when the citizens of Munchkinland found out that The Wicked Witch of the West had died. It appeared to be a joyous occasion, as dozens of prominent figures danced on Reid’s proverbial grave, while her body was still alive, let alone not even cold.
Reid has been a loud and prominent critic of President Donald Trump, the MAGA movement, and conservatives in general during her time in primetime. And if you know anything about the supporters of any of those three, they can be a bit — what’s the best, least offensive way to put this? — “fanatical” in their support, which is why Reid was so often in their crosshairs.
Truthfully, I was/am not intimately familiar with Reid’s content. The show isn’t geared toward me, I’m not the ideal target and demographic, and that’s ok. So, to become more familiar, I watched the final episode of The ReidOut on Monday night to see if I can understand why she was viewed as one of the chief villains in the Trump sphere.
As her show began, I couldn’t help but think the attire she was wearing — a zip-up hoodie with the MSNBC and The ReidOut logos on it — was funny. Why dress up like today was any other day when you can just accept and admit the fact that it wasn’t? You ever had a final day at your job? Did you act as if it was any other day? Of course not. Now, couple that with the fact that Joy Reid had been so publicly removed from her timeslot, I can’t blame her for showing up with a laissez-faire attitude.
But almost immediately, you can see why Reid was a popular target of conservatives. Her opening monologue consisted of claiming that fascism isn’t coming to the United States, it’s already here. She also highlighted the unpopular fact that America hasn’t always been a free country for everyone.
She then turned her attention to criticizing Elon Musk, who now rivals only Trump as the most unassailable person on the planet in the eyes of her detractors. Reid shared her opinion that the government looks like a mess under Trump and Musk’s directives.
“Nobody voted for this. It’s a mess. And not just a mess, a fascistic mess,” she said.
Maybe she was extra hostile due to it being her final show or maybe that was her program every night, but yep, I can understand why she would be unpopular to those within the MAGA movement.
Later in the show, Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, and Lawrence O’Donnell joined the show to discuss DOGE. And in those moments, it was clear that Reid had the admiration and support of her colleagues. Each sidestepped questions from Reid in favor of sharing their deep disappointment that The ReidOut is ending.
Which, I think, matters. If you disagree with someone politically, fine, whatever. But when the people you work with every day have high praise for you as a person, I think that’s a good indication of someone’s character. Work — no matter how fun, exciting, purposeful, or entertaining — can be a soul-crushing enterprise at times. And those people you work closest with having good things to say about you, publicly, in a position that likely puts them in hot water with the highest-placed executives inside a company, says plenty to me about Joy Reid.
Which brings me to my final point. I want to address the reaction to Reid’s firing. I couldn’t help but think the reaction was crass, crude, and classless from so many people. We often forget that the people — especially those we disagree with — on our television screens are real people. They, just like us, have real thoughts and feelings. I’m sure being told she was being removed from the daily lineup at MSNBC was a difficult message to hear for Joy Reid. And then, undoubtedly, to see so many people celebrating the demise of her show couldn’t have made the situation any better.
I often see conservatives argue that they are the party and people of Christian values. Few, if any, of the reactions to Reid’s exit showed that. I must have missed the bible verse where it was acceptable to revel in someone else’s misery because they have different political views than you.
Nobody feels good when a job or show they’re hosting ends. Failure is a difficult emotion to handle to begin with. I was disappointed to see the complete lack of empathy in a situation such as this. I’m certain the rebuttal probably sounds like “She was so hateful to Trump supporters, Elon Musk supporters, conservatives, and anyone who believes in the America First agenda.”
And even if that’s the case, it doesn’t cost anything to be the bigger and better person. You can’t — in my opinion — continually argue that you deserve to be treated with respect and shouldn’t be treated any differently for having conservative political beliefs, and then act the exact opposite way to the other side of the political aisle when it suits you. If you view someone’s conduct as “disgusting,” what do you think it means when you respond in a similar way?
I hope that’s something others remember in the future.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
