MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Calls Joy Reid’s Sudden Exit a ‘Bad Mistake’

Rachel Maddow is coming out in support of her fellow MSNBC star Joy Reid.

Maddow, 51, addressed the cancellation of Reid’s show, The ReidOut, which aired its final episode on Monday, February 24, during her show, The Rachel Maddow Show, later Monday evening.

MSNBC confirmed Monday that Reid, 56, would exit the network imminently after reports emerged over the weekend that the news network was canceling her political commentary show after five years.

“Joy Reid’s show, The ReidOut, ended tonight. And Joy is not taking a different job in the network. She is leaving the network altogether and that is very, very, very hard to take,” Maddow said during her show Monday, per Variety.

“I am 51 years old. I have been gainfully employed since I was 12. I have had so many different types of jobs you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. But in all the jobs that I have had, in all of the years I have been alive, there is no colleague for whom I’ve had more affection and more respect than Joy Reid,” Maddow continued.

The political commentator continued, “I love everything about her. I’ve learned so much from her. I have so much more to learn from her. I do not want to lose her as a colleague here at MSNBC, and personally, I think it is a bad mistake to let her walk out the door.”

Maddow also called out further changes to MSNBC’s lineup, which include weekend anchor Katie Phang losing her time slot. She said it was “indefensible” that the network’s “two non-white hosts in primetime are losing their shows.”

MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler confirmed Reid’s departure in an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press on Monday. “Joy Reid is leaving the network and we thank her for her countless contributions over the years,” Kutler wrote, reported the outlet.

In a Bluesky post on Monday, Reid thanked fans for their support amid weekend reports about the show’s cancellation. “I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out with kindness and encouragement, both personally and in these social media streets. So very proud of The Reidout team, who are truly family, and all of our supporters & friends. See you tomorrow night at 7, one more time,” she wrote.

Speaking during a livestream on the “Win With Black Women” YouTube channel on Sunday, February 23, an emotional Reid said, “My show had value.”

Reid was unapologetic about commentating on difficult subjects. “My show had value,” she said, per the AP. “Whether it was the Black Lives Matter issues … [or] talking about Gaza and the fact that we as the American people have … a right to object to little babies being bombed … I am not sorry that I stood up for those things.”