MSNBC Cans Top Host Amid Falling Ratings, Network Shake-Up

MSNBC liberal mainstay Joy Reid’s show has been canceled as part of a major shake-up under the network’s new president, Rebecca Kutler, according to a report.

Reid’s 7 p.m. program, long known for its sharp criticism of Trump, will be replaced by a new panel show featuring co-hosts Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, and Symone Sanders Townsend, The New York Times reported, citing network insiders.

The final episode of The ReidOut is set to air this week, marking the end of its five-year run as a staple of MSNBC’s primetime lineup, according to the report.

Additionally, Alex Wagner, who has hosted the 9 p.m. weeknight slot—except for Monday nights led by Rachel Maddow—is expected to be named a contributor, according to three sources familiar with ongoing discussions, Variety reported.

Wagner, who has been reporting from across the U.S. during the first 100 days of Trump’s new presidency while Maddow anchors the 9 p.m. hour, is unlikely to return to her weeknight hosting role, the sources indicated.

The changes represent the first significant overhaul by MSNBC’s new president since taking charge of the liberal network earlier this month, the New York Post reported.

Reid, a prominent critic of Trump in mainstream media, has been a long-serving anchor at the network. She has hosted the weekend talk show “AM Joy” since 2016 and was named anchor of the 7 p.m. slot in 2020.

She has made several viral and cruel rants in recent months, including telling Trump supporters to “make your own dinner” at Thanksgiving, saying they should “suffer the consequences of your votes.”

Kutler is implementing major changes at MSNBC in an effort to revamp the network, which has consistently lagged behind Fox News in ratings.

In December, Nielsen Media Research reported that Reid had lost nearly half of her audience since Donald Trump’s election, with MSNBC experiencing a staggering 53% drop in primetime viewership following the Nov. 5 results.

That same month, MSNBC reportedly offered significant pay cuts to some of its most high-profile anchors, including Joy Reid and Stephanie Ruhle, if they wished to remain in their roles.

Kutler, a former senior executive at CNN, has made it clear that MSNBC faces unique challenges as it navigates a Trump White House and prepares for its planned spinoff into a new publicly traded company alongside other NBCU cable networks, The Post added.

“Our jobs are hard on a normal day, and these are not normal times,” Kutler told MSNBC employees on her first day after her new position was announced by Mark Lazarus, the NBCU executive who is leading the spin-off, according to The Post.

A report by The Ankler, which is a Substack publication produced by media writer Lachlan Cartwright, noted the pay cuts to top MSNBC talent in a column published last month.

Cartwright added that the situation for all of cable news — with the notable exception of Fox News — is “bleak”:

The overwhelming sentiment from my conversations with 20 network journalists and executives for this story is that they are exhausted and ready for 2024 to be over — even if they are scared by what next year will bring. “It’s pretty bleak,” one long-serving cable network producer told me. “It’s past the point of hard alcohol.”

Advertisement

Meanwhile, fellow MSNBC host Rachel Maddow has seen a significant drop in her viewership following President-elect Donald Trump’s Election Day victory, according to recent data.

Since Trump’s landslide win over Vice President Kamala Harris, “The Rachel Maddow Show” has lost 43% of its audience in 2024, now averaging just 1.4 million viewers.

Related Posts

Harry mocked Trump – and the crowd booed 😳😳 See for yourself in the comments 👇

Prince Harry’s appearance on Stephen Colbert’s show turned from lighthearted Hallmark spoof to pointed political theater in a single line. Playing along with Colbert’s joke about America…

Fifteen years after our triplets were born, my husband suddenly said, “I’ve had doubts for a long time — let’s do a DNA test.” I laughed… until the moment the doctor placed the results on the table and said, “You’d better sit down”

Fifteen years after our triplets were born, my husband suddenly said, “I’ve had doubts for a long time — let’s do a DNA test.” I laughed… until…

The women in the prison became pregnant one after another: the guards couldn’t understand how such a thing could happen in locked cells, until the horrifying truth was revealed

The women in the prison became pregnant one after another: the guards couldn’t understand how such a thing could happen in locked cells, until the horrifying truth…

He Was “Just” a Construction Worker. Years Later, His Son Became a PhD—and Learned the Truth Too Late

When the defense ended, Professor Santos came to shake hands with me and my family. When it was Tatay Ben’s turn, he suddenly stopped, looked at him…

“COWBOY, I CAME TO MARRY YOU — I’M THE LOST APACHE GIRL YOU SAVED 20 YEARS AGO!” WILD WEST DESTINY STRIKES LIKE LIGHTNING ON THE FRONTIER!

The cowboy was no longer young. His hair, once bright as prairie wheat, had faded to silver at the temples. His jaw carried the hard lines of…

My mom marries my boyfriend, 10 days later She discovers… See more

The realization left her stunned, ashamed, and terrified of what else he might be hiding. As she dug deeper, she found messages outlining his plan to take…