The Black community didn’t show up for Joy Reid | Opinion

The anger is justified. The outrage is warranted. MSNBC’s decision to fire Joy Reid stings. 

But if we’re being honest with ourselves, we have to admit: We failed her too.

Yes, we know how deep systemic racism runs. We know the game that’s played in mainstream media. Black voices – especially those of Black women – are often the first to go when networks tighten their belts. And yet, this isn’t just about racism. This is about the Black community failing to show up for Joy.

We see this pattern too often. We yell from the rooftops, we flood social media with complaints, but at the end of the day, when it really matters—when it comes to ratings, clicks, and dollars—we don’t show up. Joy‘s final appearance on MSNBC was also the network’s most-watched show in the Adults 25-54 demo but prior to that, The ReidOut’s ratings were in the tank. The show suffered a major slump in ratings since the 2024 election. Nielsen Media Research revealed that Reid’s show averaged around 759,000 viewers in early December – a 47 percent decline from the 1.4 million average it achieved in 2024 leading up to Election Day.

After the election, we checked out (understandably so). We turned off the TV. We tuned out the news. And in doing so, we handed MSNBC the ammunition they needed to load the gun to fire Joy. On Feb. 20, Reid’s show was reported to have around 778,000 viewers, while Fox News’ Laura Ingraham attracted an estimated 3.4 million in the same slot.

Before you say, “Well, Mika and Joe had low ratings too,” let’s be clear: you’re comparing apples to oranges. According to an NBC press release, citing Nielsen ratings, the first five weeks of Trump’s presidency saw Morning Joe grow its audience by 17% compared to pre-inauguration viewership. In addition, the show nearly doubled CNN’s morning audience. 

Regardless, morning shows operate under different dynamics. In Joy’s primetime slot, her ratings mattered in a way that gave the network cover to make this decision.

And that’s the real pity – because Joy Reid is a phenomenal journalist. She is sharp, prepared, and unafraid to say the things that need to be said. She has carried the torch for Black women in political journalism, representing us in spaces that were never meant for us. Yet when the time came to support her in a tangible way—by watching, by engaging, by keeping her numbers strong—too many of us didn’t show up.

Now, some folks are calling on Tyler Perry or other Black millionaires to create our own media networks. It’s a great idea in theory, but let’s be real – would we show up? Just ask The Grio, which had to cancel its news programming due to low ratings. BET and TVOne both struggled to sustain news-focused content because viewership didn’t match the online chatter. Roland Martin is still standing, but only because he fights tooth and nail for funding and support, all while trying to get us to tune in consistently.

It’s the same story across industries. Remember when that Black author asked people to stop buying his books from Target? The internet cheered. Black folks reposted and rallied behind him – until it came time to actually buy the books elsewhere. Weeks later, he was back on social media, lamenting his lack of sales. We have to do more than talk. We have to follow through.

So, while we blast MSNBC for this decision, let’s also take a hard look in the mirror. Black women’s voices in media are needed now more than ever. The cancellation of The ReidOut hurts, but we can’t afford to just complain and move on. Joy Reid will land on her feet. Of that, I have no doubt.

But wherever she goes next, we need to do more than post hashtags and vent our frustration. 

We need to show up, tune in, and support her in a way that makes it impossible for anyone to dismiss or silence her again.

Because the truth is, if we don’t start consistently showing up for Black media, we’ll keep losing the voices we claim to care about.

 ReShonda Tate  is a national bestselling and NAACP Image Award-winning author of more than 50 books. She is a former TV news anchor and reporter who has worked in Houston, Oklahoma City, and Beaumont.