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- Shake-up was described by US media as “bloodbath of non-white anchors,” after cuts disproportionately affected Black and minority presenters
- Mohyeldin and Reid are known for amplifying Palestinian perspectives in their show
LONDON: US news network MSNBC has canceled the shows of presenters Ayman Mohyeldin and Joy Reid, both known for their critical coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, following an internal restructuring.
The sweeping shake-up, announced by Rebecca Kutler, the network’s new president, also saw the cancellation of shows hosted by Alex Wagner, Jonathan Capehart, and Katie Phang.
Described by some US media as a “bloodbath of non-white anchors,” the changes disproportionately affected Black and minority presenters, as well as outspoken critics of former President Donald Trump and Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Some have been made redundant, while others await editorial decisions on their future roles.
Mohyeldin, the Egyptian-born host of “Ayman Mohyeldin Reports,” will air his final episode on April 20, while Reid, who has hosted “The ReidOut” since 2020, presented her last show on Monday after Kutler confirmed rumors of its cancellation.
Both presenters have been praised for amplifying Palestinian perspectives, offering what some experts have called a rare counterbalance to the dominant pro-Israel narrative in US media.
“My show had value,” Reid said during a YouTube stream on Sunday night, listing the range of topics her team tackled each day. “Whether it was the Black Lives Matter issues … (or) talking about Gaza and the fact that we as the American people have … a right to object to little babies being bombed … I am not sorry that I stood up for those things.”
Mohyeldin has yet to comment, but MSNBC said he would remain at the network in a less prominent role.
Joy Reid has hosted The ReidOut show on MSNBC since 2020. (AFP/File)
The network cited declining ratings as the reason for canceling Mohyeldin’s and Reid’s shows. However, some observers speculated that the decision was part of a broader trend of sidelining pro-Palestinian voices.
Commenting on the reshuffle, former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan — whose show was canceled in late 2023 after he refused the network’s request for “more straight news coverage” of the Gaza war — expressed disappointment.
He described the cancellations as a “big loss for MSNBC viewers,” adding that the two anchors “talked about issues — racism, fascism, Gaza — that other hosts have avoided.
The internal shake-up comes at a turbulent time for MSNBC, which saw its ratings plummet after the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7.
While viewership has rebounded — rising 77 percent since Trump’s inauguration last month — analysts suggest the changes signal MSNBC’s intent to consolidate its progressive brand for an older audience, despite earlier reports that parent company Comcast sought to appeal to more Republican viewers.