Joy Reid. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
On Sunday morning, MSNBC chief Rebecca Kutler abruptly summoned staffers of Joy Reid’s program to an impromptu virtual meeting after news of the show’s cancellation leaked to the press. Kutler—who held a similar meeting with Alex Wagner’s show staff—sought to provide clarity on the decision and address employee concerns, but the conversation quickly grew tense and emotional, according to audio of the meeting obtained by Status.
Staffers expressed frustration and disbelief, outraged that they had learned of their show’s fate from reports in the press rather than leadership. Others demanded answers about the reasoning behind the cancellation of “The Reidout” and what it meant for their futures at the network.
The meeting, which lasted nearly 30 minutes, featured pointed questions, raw emotions, and a discussion of the changes ahead—including the revelation that the entire staff had been laid off. Here are the key takeaways…
The remainder of this article is for paid subscribers only.
Scoop-driven reporting and unafraid analysis. See why top media professionals rely on Status.
A subscription gets you full access to our nightly newsletter, which includes:
✅ Essential reporting on and analysis of the Fourth Estate, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, the Information Wars, and more.
✅ Hand-curated links to the most consequential stories moving the needle in the key corridors of the industry.
✅ Unlimited access to our online archive where you can read previous editions of the newsletter.
