Black Viewers Rally Around Joy Reid

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Joy Reid, a middle-aged black woman with short blond hair, sits closely in front of her camera as she speaks. To her left is a microphone, and behind are shelves of books.

Joy Reid spoke publicly on YouTube about the cancellation of her show on MSNBC.YouTube

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A day after winning an NAACP Image Award, one of MSNBC’s highest rated shows is done. The cancellation of Joy Reid’s primetime show, The ReidOut, has sparked outrage and confusion among viewers and fans.

Some of them are committed to letting the network know that they aren’t happy by “turning the TV off.”

Announced across social media, organizers, activists and allies of Reid are calling for viewers to tune into the final episode of The ReidOut tonight, February 24, 2025, and then immediately change the channel at the conclusion of the program.

On Sunday, more than 10,000 viewers tuned into an impromptu call to action organized by Win With Black Women and We Win With Black Men, digital organizing collectives known for rallying support for high-profile figures like former Vice President Kamala Harris and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Reid joined the call, too. “I am not sorry and I am so proud of what we did,” she said of her award-winning show, which ran for five years.

Also on the call were frequent guests of her MSNBC show, including political analysts Tiffany Cross and Angela Rye, along with longtime organizer Rashad Robinson.

“When we don’t speak up in these moments we continue to allow the line to be moved,” said Rashad Robinson, an well-known organizer who joined the call.

In a video on social media, Karen Attiah described the protest as a way to show support for Reid as well as a way to send a clear message of dissent to MSNBC. As the only Black woman to host a primetime show on cable television, MSNBC’s decision has been seen through the lens of a spate of other cancelations over the years, including shows hosted by Tamron Hall, Melissa Harris-Perry and Tiffany Cross, all Black women.

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A post shared by Karen Attiah (@karenattiah)

This move comes amid larger shifts within MSNBC and NBC Universal. Among the rumored changes, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele, hosts of MSNBC’s The Weekend, are expected to take Reid’s 7p ET time slot.