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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Former MSNBC star whines about the 'real' reason she was fired from struggling network
Ousted MSNBC host Joy Reid claimed she was fired from the liberal network due to her race and 'anxiety' over President Donald Trump. Reid, whose show The ReidOut was canceled earlier this year, spoke with former Today Show host Katie Couric on her new podcast Monday when she addressed her termination. 'I try not to speculate too much publicly, because again I can't get inside the minds of other people,' Reid told Couric. 'But I can tell you what other people have speculated about... There are lots of people at the network who are critical of Donald Trump. I mean and they're still critical of him, I'm assuming. 'So I don't think that's [it] but I do know there's a lot of anxiety both there and I think in every media. We're seeing it at CBS,' she noted, referring to the president's ongoing lawsuit against the network over a 60 Minutes interview with then Vice President Kamala Harris. 'We're seeing it at ABC, where allegedly The View hosts were told not to go so hard on Trump,' Reid continued. 'There's a push for people to "Hey, do less Trump. Do more entertainment. Don't be hard on him."' When Couric then pointed out that fellow MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow and Nicolle Wallace were also hard on the president, Reid claimed the 'only way' she differed from them is because 'I'm a black woman doing the thing.' Reid discussed the sudden cancelation of her show The ReidOut with former Today Show host Katie Couric on her podcast Monday 'I think that there is a difference for Trump in hearing the kinds of criticisms, specifically out of a black woman,' Reid claimed. 'It bothers him in a way it doesn't bother him like anything else. 'He's got this sort of tick about race, you know, and about, sort of criticism coming specifically from a black woman because we've seen him lay out and dish out real abuse against black woman journalists.' she continued. The former MSNBC host went on to say she 'tried to constantly unpack the racial history of the country' on her show, which she said she can do 'because not only am I a black woman, but I come from immigrant parents who come from what Donald Trump would consider s***hole countries.' Reid also denied that her show was canceled for failing ratings, claiming that it was 'down less' in ratings than any other MSNBC program except for Rachel Maddow's show. The ReidOut had shed 47 percent of its total audience following the 2024 presidential election, averaging just 759,000 viewers, according to Fox News. Throughout the election cycle, though, the show was averaging 1.4 million viewers. 'Our show was down less than any other primetime show,' Reid told Couric on Monday. 'We were down - other than Rachel Maddow - we were down the least. 'So we were just told that we were holding on pretty well,' she said, arguing that she still doesn't know why she was fired - claiming the reason MSNBC executives gave was 'perfunctory' and 'scripted.' She even noted that she was being careful on social media ahead of her ouster, apparently addressing a recent report suggesting her social media rants 'gave the Standards Department heartburn. 'Anytime I would tweet anything, I would get calls - I would get "Please get off Twitter, we hate it,"' the liberal news host admitted. 'They just don't like that it pulls their talent and their reporters out of control, because now you're not running what you're tweeting through Standards and Practices,' she told Couric. 'It's giving your personality directly to the audience, which they don't like because it's no longer managed and curated by them.' But in the lead up to her firing, Reid said 'we were being very careful and I was trying to be more careful about anything on social media.' It has now been claimed that executives at the network had been trying to get rid of Reid since late 2023, before new MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler pulled the plug on her show this year. Reid's slot has since been taken over by The WeekNight, an ensemble program featuring former Kamala Harris spokeswoman Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez - the daughter of disgraced New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, and former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele. Yet MSNBC's new lineup has failed to perform, dropping 41 percent in the primetime demographic and 34 percent in the total day demo last month when compared to the year before. The Weeknight had just 707,000 viewers on May 22, but only 56,000 of them were in the key demographic. The show has an average of 770,000 viewers, which is 36 percent lower than the 1.2 million that watched MSNBC at 7pm at the same time last year. Jen Psaki, who took over for Rachel Maddow during the 9pm timeslot from Tuesday to Friday, also saw a 46 percent drop from the average of 1.82 million who were watching her timeslot when Maddow was hosting during the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Psaki's numbers are also down 20 percent from the average of Alex Wagner, who hosted the show last year while Maddow was anchoring on Mondays.
Fox News
11 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Joy Reid floats speculation that her race, 'anxiety' surrounding Trump played role in MSNBC firing
Ex-MSNBC host Joy Reid spoke out about her show being canceled on Monday, speculating that her race and network "anxiety" surrounding President Donald Trump played a role in her ultimately being fired from the liberal network. "I try not to speculate too much publicly because, again, I can't get inside the minds of other people. But I can tell you what other people have speculated about… There are lots of people at the network who are critical of Donald Trump. I mean, and they're still critical of him, I'm assuming, you know. So I don't think that's [it], but I do know there is a lot of anxiety both there and, I think, in every media. We're seeing it at CBS," she said, referring to Trump's lawsuit against the network over a "60 Minutes" interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Reid spoke with Katie Couric in a video posted on her Substack page and on her YouTube channel. Reid's MSNBC show was canceled earlier this year. "We're seeing it at ABC, where allegedly 'The View' hosts were told not to go so hard on Trump. There's a push for people to, hey, do less Trump. Do more entertainment. Don't be hard on him," the former MSNBC host said, noting reporting that ABC's "The View" hosts were told to tone down their political discussions. Couric pointed out that there was no difference between Reid and liberal hosts Nicolle Wallace or Rachel Maddow, to which Reid responded, "only in one way was I different. I'm a Black woman doing the thing." "I think that there is a difference for Trump in hearing the kinds of criticisms specifically out of a Black woman, it bothers him in a way it doesn't bother him like anything else. He's got this sort of tick about race, you know, and about, sort of criticism coming specifically from a Black woman because we've seen him lay out and dish out real abuse against Black women journalists," Reid said during her conversation with Couric. "I did a specific thing, which was, I tried to constantly unpack the racial history of the country, which is very much against the sort of Project 2025 thing. And it's something I can do in a certain capacity because of my background, because not only am I a Black woman, but I come from immigrant parents who come from what Donald Trump would consider s---hole countries, but that have a take on race that is different," Reid continued. Reid's show was replaced with "The WeekNight", an ensemble program featuring former Kamala Harris spokesperson Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez, the daughter of disgraced former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, and Michael Steele, the former Republican National Committee chair who now staunchly opposes the GOP. MSNBC's new lineup has struggled in its first month, with Psaki shedding half the audience her predecessors averaged in the same timeslot, and with its other new programming struggling to attract viewers. MSNBC and ABC's "The View" did not immediately return requests for comment. Reid said prior to her show's cancellation, she was told that her show was "down less" in ratings than any other MSNBC show, aside from Maddow's. Reid and her former primetime colleagues faced a major ratings decline after Trump won the election. Her show, "The Reidout," shed 47% of its total audience, averaging just 759,000 viewers after averaging 1.4 million viewers throughout 2024 leading up to Election Day, "Our show was down less than any other primetime show. We were down, other than Rachel Maddow, we were down the least. So we were just told that we were holding on pretty well. And, you know, it's not like the ratings have gotten better since I've been gone. So I can tell you, honestly, I even had my exit interview and no one has told me why I was fired. I have no idea," she said. Reid said MSNBC's reasoning was "scripted" and "perfunctory," and explained that she had started being careful on social media. "We were being very careful, and I was trying to be more careful about anything on social media, because I know there was a real anxiety about social media, very much an anxiety about anything on social media," she said. "I don't know, I genuinely was not told."
Fox News
21 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
MSNBC's revamped lineup flounders, Jen Psaki sheds 47% of predecessors' viewership
MSNBC's revamped lineup has been a misfire through one month, with Jen Psaki shedding half the audience her predecessors averaged in the same timeslot and other new programming struggling to attract viewers. Psaki, a former Biden White House press secretary who has insisted she never saw signs the former president had declined while she worked for him, saw an increased role as part of MSNBC's overhaul when programming changes were announced earlier this year. Psaki took over MSNBC's coveted 9 p.m. ET timeslot on Tuesday through Fridays last month as "The Rachel Maddow Show" returned to only airing on Mondays, after Maddow temporarily returned to airing five nights a week during President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office. "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" averaged 971,000 total viewers from its May 6 debut through May 28, shedding a staggering 47% of the audience that Maddow and Alex Wagner pulled in at 9 p.m. ET throughout 2025. Psaki has also hemorrhaged viewers from the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, averaging 78,000 for a 52% drop compared to the 161,000 demo viewers that Maddow and Wagner averaged on Tuesday through Fridays at 9 p.m. ET before the former Biden spokesperson took over. Wagner hosted Tuesdays through Fridays in Maddow's usual spot before Trump's inauguration. The network also canceled Joy Reid's program "The ReidOut" and replaced it with "The Weeknight," an ensemble program featuring former Vice President Kamala Harris spokesperson Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez, the daughter of disgraced former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Michael Steele, the former Republican National Committee chair who now staunchly opposes the GOP. "The Weeknight" debuted on May 5 and averaged 776,000 total viewers through May 28 for a 12% drop compared to the 886,000 total viewers that "The ReidOut" and other temporary programs managed throughout 2025 in the 7 p.m. ET timeslot before changes went into effect. "The Weeknight" shed even more viewers from the key demo, as the new MSNBC show averaged 72,000 for a 20% decrease, compared to the 90,000 demo viewers who tuned into the 7 p.m. ET timeslot before the ensemble program kicked off. Another new show, "The Weekend: Primetime," with Antonia Hylton, Catherine Rampell, Elise Jordan and Ayman Mohyeldin, is down 11% among total viewers and 6% in the demo compared to MSNBC programming that used to occupy its timeslot. Despite the programming overhaul, MSNBC had its second-worst May in history among both total day and primetime in the demo. For the month, MSNBC settled for a dismal average of 49,000 viewers among the critical demo to lose to CNN, which averaged 59,000. During primetime, CNN averaged 76,000 demo viewers and MSNBC finished with an average of only 73,000. Only one of MSNBC's new shows is outdrawing its timeslot predecessor, as "The Weekend" with Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Daniels, and Jackie Alemany is up 24% in total viewers and 29% among the demo since launching on May 3. An MSNBC insider pushed back on the notion the network was struggling, pointing to the historic news cycle that occurred during Trump's first 100 days in office that helped attract viewers before the new programs launched. The insider also noted that Psaki has built on the audience of her lead-in while competing in the NBA and NHL playoffs. MSNBC's viewership issues come as Comcast gears up to spin off NBCUniversal cable assets, including MSNBC, into a separate company called Versant that will not be tied to NBC News. MSNBC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Ratings data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ukraine burns Putin, but also schools Trump with surprise drone attack
Rachel Maddow talks with Nicolle Wallace, whose new podcast, "The Best People," debuts today, about Ukraine's surprise drone attack on Russia and how Donald Trump, in a very short time, has made the U.S. blind to what other countries are up to, and excluded by our own traditional allies while the rest of the world moves ahead.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Here Are the Cable News Ratings for May 2025
Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN all took a beating during the month of April with all three networks recording declines in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo. MSNBC and CNN suffered double-digit drops across the board, with the former recording the steepest drops as the network transitioned to a new weeknight schedule that saw Rachel Maddow resume her once-a-week hosting duties. These May drops come after MSNBC was the only network to post month-to-month gains in total viewers during primetime and total day in April. Despite its month-to-month declines, Fox News continued to dominate the cable news landscape, and finished ahead of the ABC broadcast network in weekday primetime total viewers. Fox News According to Nielsen Media Research, Fox News had 2.463 million total viewers and 262,000 A25-54 viewers in primetime. During total day, it had 1.557 million total viewers and 180,000 demo viewers. Compared to its April 2025 performance, FNC experienced a -5% decline in total viewers and an -11% decrease in the demo during primetime viewing hours. Across total day, it was down a respective -4% and -11% in those measured categories. Looking at Fox News' performance alongside the same month in 2024, it rose +23% in total viewers and +32% in the demo during primetime. In total day, it was up by +21% in the former category and +22% in the latter-the only news network to see year-to-year gains. MSNBC MSNBC ranked as the No. 2 cable news network among total viewers in primetime and total day with 877,000 and 545,000 viewers, respectively. The network also pulled in a respective 73,000 and 49,000 A25-54 viewers across both of those dayparts. Month-to-month, MSNBC was down -27% in total viewers and -30% in the demo in primetime. During total day, the network was down -17% in the former category and -21% in the latter. Year-to-year, MSNBC dropped -24% in total viewers and -34% in the demo during primetime. The network was down a respective -33% and -41% in those measured categories during total day. CNN CNN saw 426,000 total viewers and 76,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime. Across total day, the network averaged 353,000 total viewers and 59,000 demo viewers. Compared to its April primetime performance, CNN dropped -18% in total viewers and -23% in the demo. During total day, it dropped -14% in the former category and -13% in the latter. Year-to-year, CNN was down -18% in total viewers and -21% in the demo during primetime. In total day, CNN declined a respective -25% and -27% in those measured categories. Looking at the May performance of the other news nets: NewsNation - The network once again finished the month with double-digit increases in weekday total day viewership compared to the same period in 2024. Cuomo remains its top program with 153,000 total viewers and 17,000 A25-54 viewers. Fox Business - The network had seven of the Top 10 business programs with total viewers and outperformed CNBC by double digits during business day, market hours, and total day. Kudlow remained the net's top show with 304,000 total viewers and 14,000 A25-54 viewers. CNBC - Fast Money Halftime Report was the network's most-watched program with 193,000 total viewers and 48,000 A25-54 viewers. Newsmax - Rob Schmitt Tonight was the network's top show in total viewers with 380,000 viewers. Finnerty finished first in the demo with 30,000 viewers. PROGRAMMING Fox News - The Five (3.766 million at 5 p.m. ET) was the most-watched program in total viewers, and in the demo (368,000). MSNBC - The Rachel Maddow Show (1.894 million at 9 p.m. ET) led the way in total viewers and the demo (157,000). CNN - Erin Burnett Outfront (549,000 at 7 p.m. ET) was the network's top performer in total viewers. CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip (97,000 at 10 p.m. ET) was No. 1 in the demo. The Top 15 Among Total Viewers The Five - Fox News (3,766,000) Jesse Watters Primetime - Fox News (3,326,000) Gutfeld! - Fox News (2,915,000) Special Report with Bret Baier - Fox News (2,807,000) Hannity - Fox News (2,730,000) The Ingraham Angle - Fox News (2,682,000) The Will Cain Show - Fox News (2,088,000) Outnumbered - Fox News (2,055,000) America's Newsroom - Fox News (1,933,000) The Faulkner Focus - Fox News (1,914,000) The Rachel Maddow Show - MSNBC (1,894,000) America Reports - Fox News (1,890,000) The Story with Martha MacCallum - Fox News (1,833,000) Fox News @Night - Fox News (1,482,000) Fox & Friends - Fox News (1,374,000) The Top 15 Among Adults 25-54 The Five - Fox News (368,000) Jesse Watters Primetime - Fox News (363,000) Gutfeld! - Fox News (328,000) Hannity - Fox News (299,000) The Ingraham Angle - Fox News (297,000) Special Report with Bret Baier - Fox News (282,000) Outnumbered - Fox News (236,000) The Will Cain Show - Fox News (235,000) America Reports - Fox News (226,000) America's Newsroom - Fox News (210,000) The Faulkner Focus - Fox News (208,000) The Story with Martha MacCallum - Fox News (207,000) Fox News @Night - Fox News (191,000) Fox & Friends - Fox News (175,000) The Rachel Maddow Show - MSNBC (157,000) May 2025 Cable News Ratings (Nielsen Live+SD data): PRIMETIME Fox News MSNBC CNN • Total Viewers: 2,463,000 877,000 426,000 • A25-54: 262,000 73,000 76,000 TOTAL DAY Fox News MSNBC CNN • Total Viewers: 1,557,000 545,000 353,000 • A25-54: 180,000 49,000 59,000
