MSNBC host Rachel Maddow delivered a scathing critique of her own network Monday night, condemning its decision to cancel Joy Reid's show and questioning recent leadership changes that have placed dozens of employees in professional limbo. Maddow called Reid's departure a "bad mistake" and accused MSNBC of mishandling both on-air talent and behind-the-scenes staff.
"I love everything about her. I have learned so much from her. I have so much more to learn from her," Maddow said of Reid during her broadcast. "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. It is not my call, and I understand that. But that's what I think."
Reid's departure marks a major shift under MSNBC's new president, Rebecca Kutler, who has overseen an overhaul of the network's programming. "The ReidOut" aired its final show on Monday, capping off a primetime lineup shake-up that has also displaced Alex Wagner from her role as the lead anchor in the 9 p.m. slot on Tuesdays through Fridays. Wagner will be replaced by former White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
Maddow, who herself negotiated a lucrative $25 million contract last year, expressed particular concern about the network's approach to staff reassignments. "Dozens of producers and staffers, including some who are among the most experienced and most talented and most specialist producers in the building, are facing being laid off," she said. "They're being invited to reapply for new jobs-that has never happened at this scale, in this way before when it comes to programming changes."
Her on-air rebuke extended beyond personnel concerns to the racial implications of the network's decisions. "It is also unnerving to see on a network where we've got two, count 'em, two non-white hosts in primetime, both of our non-white hosts in primetime are losing their shows, as is Katie Phang on the weekend," Maddow stated. "And that feels worse than bad, no matter who replaces them. That feels indefensible, and I do not defend it."
Reid, who has Congolese and Guyanese ancestry, joins Wagner, who is part Burmese, and Phang, who is South Korean, in losing their shows. However, MSNBC announced that Reid's 7 p.m. slot will be taken over by "The Weekend" co-hosts Symone Sanders-Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez, two of whom are Black and one Latina.
Kutler addressed the changes in a call with MSNBC staff on Sunday, stating that there would be more job opportunities at the network in six months than there are now, according to a report from Status. The network has not formally commented on Maddow's remarks.
Maddow has a history of clashing with MSNBC's leadership. In 2023, she publicly criticized NBC's decision to hire former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, a move that was swiftly reversed following intense backlash. In 2019, she also challenged the network over its handling of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, notably booking former NBC journalist Ronan Farrow to discuss his reporting after the network declined to publish it.
While MSNBC's future remains uncertain, NBCUniversal is reportedly preparing to spin off the network and several other affiliated channels into a standalone entity later this year. The network has faced declining ratings in recent months, despite significant programming adjustments.
Maddow, who has remained MSNBC's most-watched anchor, acknowledged that her position is more secure than many of her colleagues, but emphasized that her concern was for the staffers affected by the shake-up. "Maybe all of our folks, including most of the people who are getting this very show on the air right now, maybe they will all get new jobs here, and I hope they do," she said. "But in the meantime, being put in this kind of limbo, the anxiety and the discombobulation is off the charts at a time when this job already is extra stressful and difficult."
