Joy Reid, host of the MSNBC weekend talk show AM Joy, is moving to the 7 p.m. hour on July 20, according to the New York Times, making her one of the few Black women to anchor a major nightly news program. Her new show, The ReidOut, replaces Hardball and its host, Chris Matthews, who was forced to resign because of sexual-harassment allegations in March. Based in Washington, D.C., The ReidOut will focus on political analysis and punditry while also addressing race, class, policing, and other social issues. “I am a Black mom, a Black woman, a Black daughter,†Reid said to the Times. “I am also a journalist who can conceptualize that pain from a unique point of view. Every day I’m in this job, I’m very conscious of that responsibility to make that collective voice heard. It’s unique to do that as a Black woman.â€
After graduating from Harvard, Reid worked in TV, talk radio, and served as managing editor of TheGrio.com. Outside of journalism, she worked on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008 and published a book. She joined MSNBC in 2011 and briefly hosted a daily talk show, The Reid Report, in 2014. Reid faced her own controversy in 2018 when homophobic posts and comments resurfaced from a blog she wrote in the mid-to-late 2000s — claims she initially denied making. “It’s two years ago, so I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about that old blog,†she told the Times on Wednesday. “What I genuinely believe is that I truly care about the LGBT people in my own life. I care about being a good ally, a good person, and making sure that my voice is authentic, that I can make a difference.â€