Piers Morgan accuses Joy Reid of playing 'race card' in heated exchange
"Joy, I mean, let's be honest. I don't think you were fired after all those years because of your skin color, or because you're a Black woman. I think you were fired because your show just got increasingly unpopular," Morgan said.
Reid's MSNBC show "The ReidOut" was canceled in February as part of a larger shakeup at the network. Her show had struggled to attract ratings, averaging only 973,000 total viewers in February 2025 compared to 1.3 million during the same month in 2024, marking a 28% decline.
Reid has maintained her show suffered smaller declines than other MSNBC shows and she didn't understand the reason for the cancellation.
When Morgan asked why she was playing "the race card" instead of acknowledging that rating struggles were behind her cancellation, an incensed Reid shot back at Morgan that he was "fixated on trying to racialize conversations."
"I love the fact that your 'play the race card' is your version of the race card. You literally are so fixated on trying to racialize conversations with me, Piers, I actually find it quite charming –" Reid said before she was cut off.
"You racialize more conversations in your tenure at MSNBC than any host in history," a peeved Morgan interrupted while Reid continued to speak.
Reid's show was known for her controversial and often racially charged views, especially directing scorn towards Black Republicans and conservatives.
She called Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas "Uncle Clarence" due to his conservative views.
Reid claimed in 2021 that Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., was only present at a GOP press conference to provide a "patina of diversity." The former MSNBC host also called Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fl., the "Black guy the Republicans love to roll out" in 2021.
Reid previously told podcaster Marc Lamont Hill that being a "Black woman" made White viewers "angrier" when they objected to some of the controversial views she shared on her program.
"You take an entire conversation I had with Marc Lamont Hill and pick the bits that you can racialize because this is your schtick," Reid told Morgan.
"You racialize everything Joy, come on… It's not my schtick, it was your schtick, but people got bored with it," Morgan shot back.
The former "ReidOut" host went on to say that Morgan, a "White European," had a double standard for when "people of color" discussed race.
Morgan and Reid's interview was contentious throughout. At another point, Morgan confronted Reid at length over her blog controversy, where homophobic posts from a Florida-based blog she had resurfaced in 2018.
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