By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
Members of the Black community gathered on Feb. 23 for an emergency Zoom call in support of political commentator Joy Reid, whose award-winning MSNBC show, “The ReidOut,” was recently cancelled. Reid quickly departed from the network, which contended that the show’s termination was part of a larger shake-up in the news channel’s programming.
Reid was the first Black woman to anchor a primetime cable news show. She’s long been a vocal critic of the 47th president, who celebrated her show’s end on Truth Social. In the post, he called Reid “one of the least talented people in television” and a “mentally obnoxious racist,” who should have been “canned” a long time ago.
Reid addressed those on the Zoom call, hosted by Win with Black Women, saying she’s experienced anger, rage, disappointment, hurt and guilt over the network’s decision. Still, her prevailing emotion has been a positive feeling.
“Where I’ve landed today is pure gratitude– not just because people would take the time to get on a call like this or take care of me– but also because my show had value. What I was doing had value,” said Reid, while fighting back tears. “In the end…it mattered.”
She reflected on the coverage her show delivered to viewers. This included addressing the Black Lives Matter movement, the racist targeting of Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic and the plight of immigrants who have come to the U.S. in search of a better life.
Reid said she was unapologetic about her criticisms of the government, which includes her comments on “what the president is doing that is subversive to the Constitution and injurious to our liberty.” She recognized that her track record includes the defense of “books that people find inconvenient,” such as Nikole Hannah-Jones’ “1619 Project.”
“Whether it’s talking about any of these issues– and, yes, I’m talking about Gaza and the fact that we as the American people have the right to object to little babies being bombed– I’m not sorry,” she told the thousands in attendance. “I am not sorry that I stood up for those things because those things are of God.”
Reid also expressed her pride in her team, which she referred to as “The Avengers.” The television host said she was intentional in ensuring that the small team represented every religion, race, region, sensibility and sexual orientation.
“The ReidOut” recently won the category for an outstanding news and information series or special at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards. At the same event, she also won an award for her biography, “Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America.”
“The service I was put here for is to try to tell the truth, find the truth, explain the inexplicable and try to make it make sense, and that’s what I’ve always told my team,” said Reid. “Our job is not to be the news. Our job is to help people to understand what’s happening, to understand the horrors that are happening, to understand sometimes there’s pain but there’s also joy. I promise I’m going to keep doing that.”
The emergency call was spearheaded by Win With Black Women (WWBW) and Win With Black Men (WWBM), groups dedicated to advancing the political power of African Americans. Nearly 10,000 people tuned into the broadcast, including leaders from the Divine Nine, the National Council of Negro Women, news networks and local government.
The meeting was not only held in support of Reid, but in support of the many Black people who have recently been removed from their positions under the new presidential administration. Angela Rye, former executive director and general counsel for the Congressional Black Caucus, said the Black community is in a state of emergency.
“There are Black workers all throughout the federal government who are under attack and are on the chopping block– if they haven’t already been cut. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff just happened to be a Black man, so he’s on the chopping block and was cut,” said Rye. “We have been summoned to act. Our ancestors require it. The present requires it. Future generations require it. We have to stand up and utilize our voices.”
She and others called on viewers to boycott MSNBC in addition to calling the network, sending letters to the appropriate parties and expressing concern on social media with the hashtag, “#WeNeedJoy.”
Speakers also encouraged viewers to utilize Black media outlets during this time and warned against the scrutiny that may come against Reid as the public rallies for her.
“Don’t watch where you’re not welcome. Don’t shop where they won’t hire you. Don’t even hate-watch,” said Tiffany Cross, former television host at MSNBC . “Don’t believe the hype because what comes next are the attacks where they just start making stuff up. Brace yourself.”
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