MSNBC’s president suggested Sunday that blindsided staffers of liberal host Joy Reid’s canceled show can apply for other jobs within the liberal network as she confirmed the group of employees would be canned, according to a report.
The revelation from MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler came during a contentious virtual meeting with “ReidOut” staff in which the network chief also said the scrapped program is just a “piece of a broader slate” of changes that will be unveiled Monday, according to Status, which obtained audio of the meeting.
The 30-minute meeting was tension-filled as Reid staffers were annoyed that they first learned through media reports about the end of the show that runs at 7 p.m. on weekdays — and consequentially, that they’d be out of a job.
It was a “terrible, terrible way to learn about our fate,” one staffer told Kutler, who responded she was “incredibly disappointed that this happened in this way,” the outlet reported.
At one point, an employee reportedly confronted the boss and asked, “So to make this explicitly clear, we are being terminated currently with the option to apply within the company, right?” — which Kutler confirmed.
Kutler said more than 100 new positions will be posted this week and she encouraged those staffers, who will remain employed through April, to apply.
She reportedly claimed there would be more employees at the network six months from now than present as she tries to figure out a way to salvage MSNBC’s unremarkable ratings.
The executive, who stepped into her role earlier this month, reportedly said the “ReidOut” is only “one piece of a broader slate of programming changes that will be laid out tomorrow.”
So far it’s confirmed that Reid’s show will be axed and journalist Alex Wagner will stop anchoring in primetime as rumors of other possible changes at the network swirl, according to reports.
After Reid’s exit, the hope is her staffers can continue to produce the 7 p.m. replacement show with rotating hosts until a new show is set, Status reported.
Other tidbits from Kutler’s call included her claiming Donald Trump’s presidency didn’t play a role in the liberal host’s ouster and that the decision was based on “data analysis and programming strategy.”
It’s unclear if Reid will host one last show before her departure, though the network would like her to have a final farewell.
“We are waiting to get a response from Joy and her team about how she would like to handle that, and we want to defer to her on that,” Kutler said, according to Status.
The New York Times reported earlier the show is expected to air for a final time sometime this week.
Reid is expected to be replaced by a panel of three anchors: former Biden staffer and Democratic strategist Symone Sanders Townsend; ex-chairman of the GOP National Committee Michael Steele; and journalist Alicia Menendez, the daughter of disgraced former New Jersey senator Bob Menendez, the Gray Lady reported.
The trio currently hosts “The Weekend” which airs on Saturdays and Sundays.
