Progressive media outlets that built their brands on relentless criticism of Donald Trump are now struggling to stay afloat, with MSNBC’s latest shake-up highlighting the deep challenges facing left-leaning networks.
As MSNBC cancels major shows and grapples with declining ratings, its conservative competitor, Fox News, continues to dominate cable news.
On Monday, MSNBC’s highest-profile host, Rachel Maddow, openly criticized the network’s decision to cancel The ReidOut, hosted by Joy Reid, along with other programming changes that will see multiple non-white hosts removed from primetime slots.
Maddow, speaking on her own show, called Reid’s departure "very, very, very hard to take" and warned that MSNBC’s treatment of staffers facing layoffs was "unnerving."
Reid’s departure is part of a broader restructuring under MSNBC’s new president, Rebecca Kutler, as the network struggles to reverse its declining viewership. In a virtual meeting with staff, Kutler confirmed that those working on The ReidOut were being let go but had the option to reapply for new positions within the company.
Network spokespeople said the decisions were driven by ratings and audience data and not the political preferences or opposition from Trump or the Republican Party.
That’s because MSNBC’s ratings have suffered in the wake of Trump’s resurgence, with Fox News maintaining a commanding lead in cable news.
While Maddow remains MSNBC’s top draw, her decision to reduce her schedule to one night per week left the network vulnerable to further ratings erosion. MSNBC attempted to fill her absence with Alex Wagner, but her show struggled to attract a stable audience and will now be replaced by former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki’s Inside with Jen Psaki.
The network’s shake-up also includes the cancellation of The Katie Phang Show and other weekend programming. Maddow, in her monologue, noted the troubling “optics” of MSNBC cutting its only two non-white primetime hosts. "That feels worse than bad," she said. "That feels indefensible."
The turmoil at MSNBC comes as parent company Comcast prepares to spin off the network into a separate entity called SpinCo. Meanwhile, Fox continues to dominate the ratings, attracting more viewers than both MSNBC and CNN combined.
Joy Reid, who made a name for herself with sharp anti-Trump commentary and controversial remarks about race and politics, expressed no regrets about her approach after The New York Post photographed her outside her USD$1 million Maryland mansion wearing a fur coat for its infamous Page Six feature.
"I’m not sorry that I went hard on so many issues," Reid said, responding to her show’s cancellation.
However, observers said her departure marks a significant shift away from the fiery, opinion-driven programming that MSNBC once relied on to counter Trump-era conservatism and raises questions about whether networks that built their brands on Trump opposition can survive in a political landscape where he remains a dominant media force.
That didn’t stop former CNN host Don Lemon from adding his two cents to Fox News’ gleeful reaction to the news. Over the weekend, host Megan Kelly posted on the social platform X that Reid was the “absolute worst person on television.”
“Remember when Joy Reid laughingly mocked ‘white women tears’ as pathetic and offensive to her? Who’s crying now, Joy?” Kelly posted, also blasting NBC for “letting it go on this long.”
That prompted an expletive-laden reply.
“Let me just say to Megan Kelly, on my 30-some years as a journalist and my 50-some years as a person of colour: Go f‑‑‑ yourself,” Lemon said.
