Bye bye!
MSNBC has made the decision to cancel Joy Reid’s primetime program, The ReidOut, as part of a significant shakeup under the leadership of new network president Rebecca Kutler. The 7 p.m. ET time spot will be replaced by a new show with Symone Sanders-Townsend, a former press secretary for Kamala Harris, along with Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele, a retired RNC chair turned MSNBC host. Reid will host the final episode of The ReidOut this week.
This cancellation is just the beginning of broader changes at MSNBC. Sources indicate that Kutler plans to announce further programming adjustments affecting daytime, weekend, and primetime slots. One notable shift will see Jen Psaki, who currently hosts Inside with Jen Psaki, receive more airtime due to the show’s success as MSNBC’s most-watched weekend program. Psaki, a former press secretary for President Biden, is expected to have a bigger role within the network.
Alex Wagner, who briefly took over Rachel Maddow’s primetime slot during the early days of the Trump administration, will continue with the network but will not host a nightly show going forward. As for The Weekend, which premiered in January 2024, Menendez, the daughter of former Sen. Bob Menendez, will make history as the first Latina woman to host a primetime show on MSNBC. Her new program will air for two hours on Mondays and one hour on the other weekdays.
MSNBC is also reportedly in discussions to bring on new talent, including Politico’s Eugene Daniels and NYU law professor Melissa Murray. Additionally, the network is restructuring its leadership, with plans to hire a head of talent, head of newsgathering, Washington bureau chief, and head of content strategy. These efforts come ahead of parent company Comcast’s plan to spin off several NBCUniversal cable networks, including MSNBC, separating it from the broader NBC News operation.
In recent months, The ReidOut has struggled with declining viewership, averaging only 973,000 viewers in February 2025, a 28% drop compared to the same time last year. Joy Reid, known for her outspoken anti-Trump rhetoric and controversial statements, has become a polarizing figure. Notably, Reid has faced backlash for comparing the Trump administration’s immigration policies to the Holocaust and for past claims of homophobic comments made on her old blog, which she later attributed to hacking, though her story fell apart under scrutiny.
As MSNBC undergoes these major changes, it’s clear that the network is attempting to reshape its image and content strategy—shifting away from some of its more divisive personalities in favor of new voices and perspectives. Time will tell how these adjustments impact its viewership and long-term direction.