MSNBC is expected to give Joy Reid a new weekday show to fill the vacancy that was created when Chris Matthews abruptly retired, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Wednesday report said the deal for Reid to commandeer the 7 p.m. time slot, which has been occupied by a rotation of fill-in hosts since March, is not finalized and could falter if the two sides cannot reach an agreement. If the network does tap her for the role, she would be given the lead-in to MSNBC’s prime-time talent of Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow.
MSNBC declined to comment to the Washington Examiner.
Reid is currently the host and namesake of AM Joy, a two-hour talk show that airs on Saturday and Sunday mornings. She has guest hosted Matthews’s old show, Hardball, and has filled in for Hayes and Maddow, as well.
Matthews abruptly retired earlier this year after facing allegations of sexual harassment following more than two decades of hosting his show.
“After conversation with MSNBC, I decided tonight will be my last Hardball. So, let me tell you why,” he opened his March 2 show. “The younger generations out there are ready to take the reins. We see them in politics, in the media, in fighting for their causes. They are improving the workplace.”
Over the years, reports have circulated that Matthews would rate female guests based on appearance, was reprimanded for comments directed to a subordinate that led to a separation-related payment, and was caught on camera joking about a “Bill Cosby pill,” which was a reference to a date-rape drug.
While Matthews left amid the cloud of controversy, Reid herself also has a controversial past that could resurface should the network move forward with the apparent hire. A litany of homophobic commentary was found on Reid’s old and now-defunct personal blog. She initially claimed her blog was hacked and hired a cybersecurity expert to investigate, but no evidence to support her defense was found.
In addressing the posts during her show in April 2018, Reid apologized but also said she “genuinely” doesn’t believe she authored those posts.
“I genuinely do not believe I wrote those hateful things, because they are completely alien to me,” she explained. “But I can definitely understand based on things I have tweeted and have written in the past why some people don’t believe me.”
