Joy Reid will become MSNBC’s newest prime-time host, filling the vacancy left by Chris Matthews.
Reid’s show, The ReidOut, will air every weeknight at 7 p.m. ET. The premiere is scheduled for Monday, July 20, according to a press release from the network.
“I’m honored and thankful for this opportunity,” Reid said. “I’ll always be proud of the work we did on ‘AM Joy’ by pushing the envelope and tackling pragmatic conversations. I’m eager to carry that same energy into the 7 p.m. hour where we can continue to build on bringing in diverse, smart, and accomplished voices to the table on topics that are important to our viewers.”
Reid, 51, currently serves as the host of AM Joy, a two-hour talk show that airs on Saturday and Sunday mornings. She had guest-hosted Matthews’s old show, Hardball, and has filled in for two other prime-time hosts, Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow.
The vacancy opened up when Matthews abruptly retired earlier this year as he faced allegations of sexist comments following more than two decades of hosting his show.
“I’m thrilled to have Joy on five nights a week,” MSNBC President Phil Griffin said. “She’s thoughtful and brings so much depth to her reporting. She’s made for this moment.”
Reid will become the only black woman prime-time host on any of the big cable news networks.
She faced controversy in recent years after a litany of homophobic commentary was found on Reid’s old and now-defunct personal blog. She claimed it was hacked and hired a cybersecurity expert to investigate, but no evidence to support her defense has been brought forward.
In addressing the posts during her show in April 2018, Reid apologized but also said she “genuinely” doesn’t believe she authored those posts.
Reid acknowledged the blog in a new interview with the New York Times, saying, “It’s two years ago, so I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about that old blog. What I genuinely believe is that I truly care about the LGBT people in my own life. I care about being a good ally, a good person, and making sure that my voice is authentic, that I can make a difference.”
The decision to pick Reid as Matthews’s replacement was made by Cesar Conde, the newly hired NBC News chairman who replaced Andy Lack at the end of May. Conde, who is the former head of Telemundo and NBC’s businesses outside North America, also oversees the news division, MSNBC, and CNBC.
CNBC announced the hiring of former Fox News host Shep Smith on Wednesday.
