Joy Reid and Alex Wagner Axed From MSNBC Lineup in Major Network Shakeup

Variety ^ | 2/23/25 | Brian Steinberg

[Libloather]

MSNBC‘s evening line-up may soon look quite different from what die-hard viewers have come to expect.

The NBCUniversal-backed cable network is expected to move the trio of Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele to its 7 p.m. weekday slot Tuesday through Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter, and the group on Mondays will lead two hours, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The move will have direct implications for Joy Reid, the anchor who currently fills 7 p.m. She is expected to host her last show on MSNBC this week.

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Home TV News Feb 23, 2025 2:00am PT MSNBC Chief Plans Evening Shake-Up, Replacing Joy Reid, Alex Wagner

By Brian Steinberg

Plus Icon Rebecca-Kutler-MSNBC Courtesy of MSNBC MSNBC‘s evening line-up may soon look quite different from what die-hard viewers have come to expect.

The NBCUniversal-backed cable network is expected to move the trio of Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele to its 7 p.m. weekday slot Tuesday through Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter, and the group on Mondays will lead two hours, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The move will have direct implications for Joy Reid, the anchor who currently fills 7 p.m. She is expected to host her last show on MSNBC this week.

What’s more, Alex Wagner, who has hosted weeknights at 9 p.m. save for a Monday night led by Rachel Maddow, is expected to be named a contributor, according to three people with knowledge of current talks. Wagner, who has been working as a correspondent across the U.S. during the first 100 days of the new Trump presidency while Rachel Maddow anchors each day at 9, is unlikely to return to her weeknight slot, these people indicated.

[chiller]

Cable channels don’t have or need licenses like broadcast channels do.

Cale TV is competitive capitalism, and any business interested in succeeding in this system would not feature a racist like Joy Reid....bad for business.

[montag813]

Michael Steele is dumb and boring, one of the first major political DEI hires. The ratings will be even worse.

[cnsmom]

Sounds to me her dear friend Oprah Winfrey might be headed for big trouble on those soon to be released lists and MSNBC doesn’t want to be in the splash zone.

[DeplorablePaul]

Michael Steele is like a termite. He could survive a nuclear war and keep his spot on MSNBC. He is long past being an anti Trump Republican. He speaks for no one and has nothing to say.

[CIB-173RDABN]

Cable TV is competitive capitalism..

---

Well kind of. What I mean is because the creators of these shows may have one or two that people are willing to pay for (on cable) and don’t care for the rest. But the creators tell the cable companies that they have to buy them all or nothing. So the cable company takes the package to get the good shows but the subscribers have to pay for the bad shows as well. This is why ratings do not matter for cable shows. They get money regardless.

The only way out is to cut the cable and only subscribe to the ones you want.

[chiller]

All true. What eventually shakes out is people like Joy Reid anger enough viewers that the whole channel suffers and an MSNBC becomes a rotten piece of the cable bundle. Fewer want that cable bundle, and switch to streaming.

Changes coming to FOXNEWS in a few years, too, as the fictional Succession plays out in real life. The liberal son James is about to win some custody of the Murdoch empire, whereas it long appeared Lachlan would assume Rupert’s perch.

Not to mention, their cable life may die on the same bundling vine, regardless of popularity.

[PIF]

The liberal son James is about to win some custody of the Murdoch empire

—
His first hires will be Joy Reid and Kieth Oberman.

[Tom Tetroxide]

[Tommy Revolts]

Replace an Africa American woman with a white women and then get rid of Joy Reid. How dare they!

Time to boycott this channel. D'oh.

[catnipman]

really glad to see that racist lunatic Reid fired, but they’re just rearranging deck chairs at this point because MSNBC hits the iceberg at the end of the year when it is no longer a property of NBCuniveral, but becomes a member of a gaggle of not-very-watched cable channels tossed out into a new, independent corporation called SpinCo ... it’s unclear if MSNBC will even be allowed to keep the “NBC” part in its name ...

[catnipman]

FCC doesn’t license cable channels, they license only over-the-air broadcast channels ... there are no licenses of any kind for cable channels ...

[catnipman]

“Joys head is going to do that twirly thing.”

i’ve never watched ... does it go all the way around?

[catnipman]

“Takin a license away is a very serious matter and one’s views on politics isn’t a valid reason.”

sigh ... cable channels are not licensed .. by anyone ... never have been ... never will be unless specific Congressional legislation is enacted ... only common carrier over-the-air broadcast channels are licensed, and that only because ALL broadcast uses of the public spectrum are licensed ...