[Photo: Screenshot: MSNBC/YouTube]
Joy Reid is a journalist, political commentator, and television host. She was born on December 8, 1968, in Brooklyn, New York, to immigrant parents her father was from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and her mother was from Guyana. After her mother passed away Joy moved to Brooklyn at 17 to live with an aunt. She later attended Harvard University, where she studied film.
Joy didn’t start her career in journalism immediately. She first worked in business consulting, but in 1997, she took a leap of faith and joined WSVN Channel 7’s morning show in Florida. Over the years, she worked in different media roles, including radio and newspapers, her main focus has always been politics and social issues.
She joined MSNBC. In 2014, she got her own afternoon show, The Reid Report, but it was canceled after a year. She decided to stay with the network as a correspondent and eventually got a morning show AM Joy, a weekend political talk show. In 2020, MSNBC gave her a prime-time slot, making her the first Black woman to anchor a prime-time news show on the network. The ReidOut was born.
For four years, The ReidOut tackled tough political topics, often challenging powerful figures and shedding light on stories that mainstream media sometimes ignored. In early 2025, MSNBC announced it was canceling The ReidOut as part of a major programming shift. Her 7 p.m. time slot would be replaced by a new panel show featuring different hosts. The decision reportedly came as the network tried to shake things up and boost ratings. She decided to leave MSNBC after the announcement of the shows cancellation.
Despite the cancellation, Joy Reid’s influence in journalism remains strong. She has spent decades amplifying voices that are often overlooked, challenging those in power, and creating space for honest conversations about race, politics, and justice. While The ReidOut may be ending, it’s unlikely that this is the last we’ll see of Joy Reid. She’s built a career on resilience, and if history is any guide, she’ll find another way to keep speaking truth to power.
