The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday night that MSNBC is expected to name weekend host and political analyst Joy Reid to fill the 7 p.m. weeknight slot that was vacated by veteran anchor Chris Matthews’ sudden departure earlier this year.
Reid, who currently hosts weekend morning program AM Joy, has regularly served as a guest host for primetime stars Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes. She also has been one of the primary fill-in hosts at 7 p.m. since Matthews abruptly retired in March following a series of controversies over inflammatory on-air remarks and accusations of sexual harassment.
According to the Journal, talks over Reid’s “appointment are still ongoing and an agreement isn’t a certainty.” Reid, once a Daily Beast columnist, came under fire in 2018 when homophobic posts from her old blog resurfaced. The MSNBC host initially said she was the victim of hacking before that claim fell apart under scrutiny. While eventually apologizing for hurtful and inappropriate tweets and posts, saying her views have evolved, Reid has remained silent on the unsubstantiated hacking claims. MSNBC declined to comment for this story.
