Joy Reid
Joy-Ann M. Lomena Reid (born December 8, 1968) is an American journalist, author, and political commentator who hosted the MSNBC prime-time program The ReidOut from 2020 until its cancellation in February 2025.[1][2] Born in New York City to immigrant parents from Guyana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Reid graduated from Harvard University in 1991 with a concentration in film and later taught courses on race, gender, and media at Syracuse University and Howard University.[3][4] Her career trajectory included local news reporting in Florida, producing documentaries, and rising at MSNBC from national correspondent to weekend host of AM Joy before launching The ReidOut, which earned NAACP Image Awards for outstanding news/information series in 2022 and 2025.[5][6] Reid's commentary style emphasizes progressive critiques of American conservatism, frequently framing political events through lenses of race, identity, and systemic inequality, which has garnered loyal viewership among liberal audiences but criticism for hyper-partisanship and race-based rhetoric from conservative outlets.[7][8] She has authored books such as Fracture: Barack Obama, the Clintons, and the Racial Divide (2015), analyzing Democratic Party dynamics, and maintained an influential presence on social media and as a pundit during major elections.[9] A defining controversy emerged in 2018 when researchers uncovered posts from Reid's defunct early-2000s blog containing homophobic content, 9/11 conspiracy theories, anti-Israel remarks, and mockery of political figures, prompting her to initially claim the site was hacked before admitting the writings were hers and issuing apologies for the "pain" caused.[10][11][12] MSNBC retained her amid the backlash, reflecting the network's tolerance for aligned ideological viewpoints despite the content's inconsistencies with contemporary progressive standards on issues like LGBTQ rights.[13][14] Following The ReidOut's end, Reid has continued public commentary, including claims equating terms like "illegals" to racial slurs and linking restrictions on youth gender transitions to historical authoritarianism.[15][16]