- US media described the shakeup as a “bloodbath of non-white anchors” after cuts disproportionately affected blacks and minorities.
- Mohieldin and Reed are known for highlighting the Palestinian point of view on their show.
LONDON: US news network MSNBC has cancelled the shows of hosts Ayman Moheddin and Joy Reid, known for their critical coverage of Israel's war in Gaza, following an internal restructuring.
The sweeping changes announced by Rebecca Cutler, the network's new president, also led to the cancellation of shows hosted by Alex Wagner, Jonathan Capehart and Katie Fung.
Described by some US media as a “bloodbath of non-white anchors,” the changes disproportionately affected black and minority staffers, as well as outspoken critics of former President Donald Trump and Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Some were fired, while others are awaiting editorial decisions about their future roles.
Mohyeldin, the Egyptian-born host of “Ayman Mohyeldin Reports,” will air for the last time on April 20, while Reid, who has hosted “The ReidOut” since 2020, premiered her final show on Monday after Cutler confirmed rumors of its cancellation.
Both speakers were praised for broadening Palestinian views, offering what some experts said was a rare counterweight to the dominant pro-Israel rhetoric in the American media.
“My show had value,” Reed said during a YouTube broadcast Sunday night, listing a number of topics her team tackled each day. “Whether it was Black Lives Matter… (or) talking about Gaza and how we as the American people have… the right to object to the bombing of little children… I don’t regret standing up for those things.”
Mohyeldin has not yet commented, but MSNBC said he will remain on the channel in a less prominent role.
The network cited declining ratings as the reason for canceling Mohieldin and Reed's show. However, some observers suggested that the decision was part of a broader trend of sidelining pro-Palestinian voices.
Commenting on the shakeup, former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, whose show was canceled at the end of 2023 after he rejected the network's request for “more straightforward news coverage” of the war in Gaza, expressed disappointment.
He called the cancellations “a big loss for MSNBC viewers,” adding that the two hosts “talked about issues like racism, fascism, Gaza that other hosts avoided.”
The internal changes come at a turbulent time for MSNBC, whose ratings have plummeted since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
While viewership has rebounded (up 77 percent since Trump's inauguration last month), analysts suggest the changes signal MSNBC's intent to consolidate its progressive brand to an older audience, despite earlier reports that parent company Comcast was seeking to attract more Republican viewers.
