On Thursday, MSNBC announced weekend anchor and political contributor Joy Reid will be hosting a new primetime show—making her the first Black woman primetime anchor in cable TV history.
Reid, who was the anchor for MSNBC’s weekend morning show “AM Joy,” said in a press release:
“I’m honored and thankful for this opportunity … 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.”
Reactions to Reid’s addition to the MSNBC primetime lineup have been swift, with many on Twitter sharing their thoughts on the announcement and the advancement of Black women in the media.
While remarkable, Reid’s promotion is one step on a long journey toward newsroom equality—considering in 2019, people of color represented less than 22 percent of salaried journalists among the top 429 news organizations, according to the News Leaders Association’s (NLA) Newsroom Diversity Survey, and women made up 41.8 percent of all newsroom workers (up from 41.6 percent in 2018). Moreover, the makeup of managers of color at both print/digital and online-only publications was less than 19 percent.
MSNBC made the historic announcement of Reid’s promotion four months after the departure of longtime anchor Chris Matthews, who previously held the time slot Reid is set to fill. Matthews, who had hosted his show “Hardball” for 20 years on the network, resigned in March a guest came forward, accusing the anchor of sexual harassment and inappropriate comments, which he has since admitted to.
According to MSNBC president Phil Griffen, Reid is “thoughtful and brings so much depth to her reporting.” He added he is “thrilled to have Joy on five nights a week.”
According the MSNBC, the new show—titled “The ReidOut“—will be based in Washington D.C. and “will feature one-on-one conversations with politicians and newsmakers while addressing provocative political issues both inside and outside of the beltway.”
“The ReidOut” is set to premiere Monday, July 20 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on MSNBC.
