MSNBC host Rachel Maddow took on her own network for shaking up its prime-time lineup, saying the decision to scrap shows helmed by Joy Reid and other minority hosts “feels indefensible.”
Ms. Maddow said she was sorry to see Ms. Reid lose her four-year-old show, “The ReidOut,” which aired its final episode Monday, saying, “I do not want to lose her as a colleague here at MSNBC.”
“Personally, I think it is a bad mistake to let her walk out the door. It is not my call, and I understand that. But that’s what I think,” Ms. Maddow said on her Monday night show, which airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time on the left-wing cable network.
She then noted that the network also dumped other “nonwhite hosts,” referring to Katie Phang and the namesake of “Alex Wagner Tonight.”
“I will tell you, it is also unnerving to see that on a network where we’ve got two — count ’em — two nonwhite hosts in prime time. Both of our nonwhite hosts in prime time are losing their shows, as is Katie Phang on the weekend,” said Ms. Maddow. “And that feels worse than bad. No matter who replaces them.”
She concluded: “That feels indefensible. And I do not defend it.”
Her race-tinged monologue drew notice on both sides of the political aisle, with leftists cheering her “courage” and conservatives chuckling over the specter of the left playing the race card against one of its own.
“Rachel Maddow just called MSNBC racist for firing Joy Reid. On MSNBC,” said OutKick founder Clay Travis on X. “Guys, that place is a total dumpster fire. Trump destroyed them all.”
RedState’s Nick Arama asked: “Whoa, did she just accuse her own network of being racist?”
Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison lauded Ms. Maddow, saying, “I’ve met a lot of amazing people in politics, but none like [Maddow].”
“Thank you Rachel for continuing to show that doing the right thing and being loyal are still attributes found in this business,” Mr. Harrison posted on X. “We see you and appreciate you my friend!”
Vincent Shi, media deputy for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, praised Ms. Maddow as “a true class act.”
“Rachel Maddow called out her network for four minutes tonight, noting not just how special Joy Reid is but also how MSNBC is cutting 2 anchors of color & hurting the people who make all the shows possible,” said Mr. Shi. “This is courage.”
It’s possible that MSNBC needs Ms. Maddow more than she needs that network.
She has long enjoyed the top-rated show on the cable channel even after pulling back from five nights per week to one in 2022, a schedule change that has let her pursue other projects, but MSNBC convinced her to return to her five-night schedule for the first 100 days of the Trump administration.
“The Rachel Maddow Show” was the network’s highest-rated show in total viewers and the 25-54 age demographic for the week of Feb. 10, while MSNBC trailed Fox News Channel and CNN, according to Adweek.
Ms. Reid’s show had the lowest ratings in the 25-54 demographic and the second lowest in total viewers in the latest ratings.
MSNBC is hardly abandoning minority voices. The network reportedly plans to replace “The ReidOut” in the 7 p.m. ET timeslot with a show anchored by the three co-hosts of “The Weekend,” Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez. None of the hosts is White.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.