Joy Reid Suggests MSNBC Fired Her Over Trump and Gaza Coverage, Not Ratings

Former MSNBC host Joy Reid is speaking out for the first time about the circumstances surrounding her abrupt departure from the network earlier this year—claiming the decision had nothing to do with ratings, and everything to do with editorial discomfort around her outspoken coverage of Donald Trump and the war in Gaza.

In a candid interview this week on The Breakfast Club, Reid recounted the events leading up to her firing in February. According to Reid, her dismissal came with no warning, no formal explanation, and followed what she described as a generally positive performance review just weeks prior.

“We had actually just had a ratings meeting like two weeks before I was fired,” she told the hosts. “They were like, ‘You guys lost less than your competitors, and you’re actually doing fine.’ So ratings were fine. We were doing fine. And, you know, the ratings have not gotten better since I left.”

Reid’s show The ReidOut had been a flagship evening program for the progressive-leaning cable network since its debut in 2020. It became known for sharp commentary on race, democracy, and foreign policy—frequently challenging right-wing narratives and offering visibility to underrepresented voices.

Her termination, however, was as swift as it was opaque.

“There was no warning,” Reid said. “Nobody had called me. Nobody had said, ‘You did something wrong, you’re in trouble, you’re on probation.’ I had gotten nothing.”

Instead, she described receiving a vague request for a phone call the morning of her firing. “Then I get a text message early the next morning saying, ‘Can you talk at noon?’ And I was fired immediately. They never said why. So I’ve had to live in the rumor mill with everybody else.”

Though MSNBC declined to comment on Reid’s claims, her comments suggest growing tensions between network executives and high-profile hosts over how to navigate an increasingly fraught media environment. Reid identified two specific areas that she believes made management uneasy: her criticism of Donald Trump and her coverage of Gaza.

“One of them is Trump, because Trump is suing everybody,” she said. “He’s literally threatening people to the point where 60 Minutes is shook, ABC News is shook. He’s verbally threatened Comcast by name… and all of these are businesses that need FCC approval… He can pull your license.”

Reid argued that networks are operating out of a sense of self-preservation under the threat of Trump’s possible return to power and his public antagonism toward media companies. She accused corporate leadership of taking a risk-averse approach, describing it as an effort to avoid “poking the bear.”

The second issue, she said, was her coverage of the Gaza conflict—particularly in ways that offered sympathy to Palestinian civilians amid Israel’s military operations.

“You just can’t get away from the fact that talking about Gaza in a way that humanizes Palestinians is not the usual way that cable news operates,” Reid said. “That topic makes people uncomfortable.”

The war in Gaza has become one of the most divisive international stories in American media. Many mainstream outlets have been criticized for biased coverage, whether it be overly sympathetic to Israeli government actions or, less often, for appearing to legitimize Hamas or downplay Israeli civilian casualties. Reid’s more humanizing tone toward Palestinian civilians may have run afoul of institutional caution on the subject.

Following her departure, Reid maintained a defiant tone. She previously stated in February that she would not apologize for taking strong positions on issues like Black Lives Matter, immigration, the 1619 Project, and Gaza—nor for her vocal opposition to Trump.

“I am not sorry I stood up for those things because those things are of God,” Reid said at the time. “And you know, I’m a church girl, too, and those are the things that I was taught were of God. So I’m not sorry. I’m just proud of my show.”

Joy Reid’s allegations add fuel to ongoing debates about freedom of the press and the limits of editorial independence in corporate media. Her experience echoes similar claims from other journalists who say they’ve been sidelined or pressured for challenging dominant narratives or power structures—particularly when it comes to U.S. politics and foreign policy.

While MSNBC has not addressed Reid’s claims publicly, her account raises questions about the network’s internal decision-making and its approach to balancing journalistic integrity with corporate interests. With the 2024 presidential election looming, and the situation in Gaza continuing to provoke global concern, tensions between fearless reporting and institutional risk management are likely to persist.

For Reid, the end of her MSNBC tenure is not the end of her public commentary. She remains a prominent voice in progressive political circles and is expected to continue her work through other platforms. But her dismissal—abrupt, unexplained, and possibly driven by editorial discomfort—serves as a stark reminder of the fragile position even high-profile journalists can face in the current media landscape.