On July 20, Joy Reid, who has been with MSNBC since 2011, will take over the cable network’s 7 p.m. weeknight time slot, officially replacing Chris Matthews and the long-running “Hardball.”
With the new show, to be called “The ReidOut,” the 51-year-old Reid, who currently hosts “AM Joy,” a political weekend-morning talk show, will become the first woman of color to anchor a prime time news show on MSNBC and the only Black woman currently anchoring a prime time news show on any of the major networks. The last Black woman to host a prime time network news show was Gwen Ifill, who, along with Judy Woodruff, was a co-anchor on the “PBS News Anchor” until her death at age 61 in 2016. (Several black women hold prominent anchor spots on daytime news programs, of course, including Gayle King at CBS, Robin Roberts at ABC and Harris Faulkner at Fox.)
“I’m honored and thankful for this opportunity,” Reid said in a statement issued by the network on Thursday. “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.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Reid said she planned to address racism, police brutality and other “cataclysmic social issues we need to reckon with.” Said Reid: “I am a Black mom, a Black woman, a Black daughter. I am also a journalist who can conceptualize that pain from a unique point of view. Every day I’m in this job, I’m very conscious of that responsibility to make that collective voice heard. It’s unique to do that as a Black woman.”
Reid told The Washington Post, that her new high-profile assignment was “pretty overwhelming,” adding. “It is a huge responsibility.”
Reid takes over the 7 p.m. slot after a lengthy hiatus following Chris Matthew’s abrupt resignation from the network in March, following a series of statements that were considered insensitive and allegations of workplace harassment. Reid was one of several fill-in hosts over that period.