How Staffers Found Out They Lost Their Jobs at Joy Reid’s MSNBC Show

Team members behind MSNBC‘s The ReidOut discovered their professional fates through a hastily organized virtual meeting after news of the show’s cancellation had already leaked to the press. According to reporting from Status, MSNBC leadership informed the entire production team of their termination during a brief 30-minute video conference, leaving many staffers stunned and frustrated by the handling of the situation. The outlet obtained audio recordings from this meeting, capturing the raw emotions as employees learned their positions would end in April as part of a larger network restructuring.

“It was a terrible, terrible way to learn about our fate,” one staff member can be heard saying during the meeting, expressing the collective shock felt throughout the team. Many employees were particularly upset that they first learned about the show’s cancellation through news reports rather than directly from network management.

During this virtual gathering, MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler confirmed the complete dismantling of The ReidOut team, though she attempted to soften the blow by noting this decision represented “part of much larger adjustments” at the network. When pressed by employees seeking clarity about their employment status, one staff member directly asked, “So to make this explicitly clear, we are being terminated currently with the option to apply within the company, right?”

As Status newsletter reported, Kutler acknowledged this was indeed the case, adding that approximately 100 new positions would become available at MSNBC, which displaced team members could pursue. The network plans to keep the staff employed through April, providing a brief window for them to seek alternative roles within the company.

Despite the seemingly abrupt announcement, Status reports that Joy Reid‘s departure had been foreshadowed months earlier when her contract was only extended for a single year rather than a longer-term commitment. This short-term arrangement signaled that network executives were already contemplating potential changes to the lineup.

The decision to end Reid’s program appears to align with broader strategic shifts at MSNBC as Comcast prepares to spin off the network and other cable assets into a separate company. Mark Lazarus, who will oversee this new division, has reportedly expressed a desire to reshape MSNBC’s public image.

According to the outlet, Lazarus has indicated in private conversations that he believes some viewers perceive the network as unfair to Republicans—a perception he aims to change not by shifting rightward but by presenting progressive viewpoints in a less polarizing manner. This evolving approach has manifested in personnel decisions favoring voices like Jen Psaki, Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez while moving away from what Status describes as the “at-times combative posture” associated with Reid’s programming style.

The cancellation has generated criticism both internally and externally. Most notably, Rachel Maddow used her Monday program to express disagreement with the decision, calling it a “bad mistake to let her walk out the door.” Maddow further highlighted concerns about diversity in the network’s lineup: “It is also unnerving to see that on a network where we have two—count them, two—non-white hosts in prime time, both of our non-white hosts in prime time are losing their shows, as is Katie Phang on the weekend. And that feels worse than bad, no matter who replaces them. That feels indefensible. And I do not defend it.”

When addressing speculation during the staff meeting, Kutler insisted that Reid’s show wasn’t being canceled due to political pressure, including from President Donald Trump. Instead, she attributed the decision to “data and response,” suggesting audience metrics factored heavily in the network’s restructuring plans. As MSNBC navigates this transition period, the team behind The ReidOut now faces an uncertain professional future, left to compete for remaining positions within a rapidly evolving media landscape.