Trump-bashing leftist Keith Olbermann lashed out at his former employer MSNBC over what he described as a “racist purge” following the cancelation of Joy Reid’s primetime show.
In a series of posts on X, Olbermann condemned the removal of Reid along with shows hosted by Jonathan Capehart, Alex Wagner, Katie Phang and Ayman Mohyeldin.
Olbermann, who hosted a show on the left-leaning network from 2003 to 2011, compared the cancellations to the cost-cutting spree undertaken by DOGE head Elon Musk.
“Now 5 different anchors of color dismissed/canceled. An MSNBC purge so brutally racist it makes you think it was done by Musk. Joy Reid, Wagner; now Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart, Ayman Mohyeldin,” Olbermann wrote on his X account.
Reid, who is black, shed tears after airing her final show on MSNBC on Monday.
Wagner, whose mother is Burmese, will no longer host the 9 p.m. hour from Tuesday through Friday. She will remain at the network as a political analyst.
Phang, who is of Asian descent, will no longer host her weekend show. She will instead be a contributor. Capehart, who is black, and the Egyptian-born Mohyeldin will be moved to new time slots, according to the network.
Olbermann also called on MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes and Lawrence O’Donnell to take a stand, warning them, “or you are all Joe Scarborough” — the host of “Morning Joe” who met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after his victory over Kamala Harris.
“Dear [Rachel Maddow], If you go on the air tonight — or at minimum go on without condemning the overt racism of the people who give you $25 million a year — you are complicit. Same for you [Lawrence O’Donnell] and [Chris Hayes],” he wrote.
Olbermann, who left the network on bad terms more than a decade ago, continued his anti-MSNBC diatribe, writing: “They didn’t even try to hide the racism by firing an unnecessary white anchor like [Katy] Tur or [Stephanie] Ruhle as cover.”
Olbermann and Tur were in a relationship for about three years in the late 2000s when Tur was starting her journalism career.
The Post has sought comment from MSNBC.
Maddow addressed the Reid cancellation on air, openly criticizing MSNBC’s recent programming decisions.
“It is also unnerving to see that on a network where we’ve got two — count them — two nonwhite hosts in primetime, both of our nonwhite hosts in primetime are losing their shows, as is Katie Phang on the weekend. And that feels worse than bad, no matter who replaces them. That feels indefensible. And I do not defend it,” she said.
O’Donnell also expressed confusion over the decision to cancel Reid’s show, stating it made “absolutely no sense.”
Maddow is a former protégé of Olbermann’s. The two have had a complex relationship that has evolved over time.
Olbermann, who gained nationwide fame as co-anchor of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” in the 1990s, played a key role in Maddow’s rise at MSNBC.
When he was hosting “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” he frequently featured Maddow as a guest, recognizing her analytical skills and sharp political commentary.
He advocated for her to get her own show, which eventually led to “The Rachel Maddow Show” premiering in 2008.
But their relationship became strained after Olbermann’s abrupt departure from MSNBC in 2011.
While Maddow expressed appreciation for his mentorship, she did not openly challenge the network over his exit, which some interpreted as a sign of distancing herself from the controversy.
Olbermann later expressed frustration with Maddow, suggesting she was not sufficiently supportive during his departure.
In subsequent years, he has been critical of MSNBC and its leadership, occasionally taking shots at Maddow in the process.
Olbermann has also been vocal in his criticism of Scarborough, particularly over his visit to Mar-a-Lago and interactions with President Donald Trump following the 2024 election.
Scarborough and Brzezinski were widely criticized for meeting Trump, whom they referred to as a “fascist” in the months preceding the election.
