Joy Reid’s firing from MSNBC leaked to the press before her staff was notified, forcing network chief Rebecca Kutler to call an impromptu meeting filled with “pointed questions” and “raw emotions,” media journalist Oliver Darcy reported Sunday.
According to Darcy’s Status newsletter, staffers “expressed frustration and disbelief, outraged that they had learned of their show’s fate from reports in the press rather than from leadership. Others demanded answers about the reasoning behind the cancellation of ‘The ReidOut’ and what it meant for their futures at the network.”
They got their answer: “The meeting, which lasted nearly 30 minutes, featured pointed questions, raw emotions and a discussion of the changes ahead” — including the revelation that the entire staff would be laid off, Darcy wrote. Kutler said she hoped the staff would produce the 7 p.m. rotation until the changes take effect in April.
Status also reported that Kutler held a similar meeting with Alex Wagner’s show staff, which also “quickly grew tense and emotional,” according to audio of the meeting Darcy obtained. The new MSNBC president told both meetings that more than 100 roles at the network will be posted this week and that impacted staffers are encouraged to apply for them, Status noted.
Kutler also reportedly said she would like Reid to host a final show, but wasn’t sure if she was up to it and is awaiting a response from “The ReidOut” host’s team. She also told MSNBC employees that the news of Reid’s firing – not well-received in certain corners of the Internet on Sunday – is only a part of “a broader slate of programming changes that will be laid out” Monday by the progressive news network.
MSNBC will replace “The ReidOut” with a new show hosted by “The Weekend” anchors Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez in the 7 p.m. ET slot, part of Kutler’s vision for the network moving forward. Wagner will also be replaced during the 9 p.m. spot Tuesday-Friday, but will remain with the network as a correspondent.
Kutler expressed regret for staffers learning their fate through a press leak, and was asked whether President Donald Trump’s re-election was a factor in any of the decisions – which she flatly denied. She said changes are based on “data analysis and programming strategy” to “best position MSNBC for the year ahead.”
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