MSNBC just went full Jim Crow and the Resistance is DONE with them

The allegedly progressive network will not “Lean Forward” by stumbling back to the 1950s. This was the last straw. Fuck them.

A major American news network just announced some big changes: four weekday hosts will soon be off air — and two weekend hosts’ namesake programs are being canceled. Lineup changes are common, so what’s the problem? All six of these hosts are people of color.

Which regressive, right-wing network would do such a thing? Fox News? OANN?

Nope, it was MSNBC. Yes, you read that correctly. MSNBC pulled four weekday hosts of color from its lineup:

Katie Phang? Off the air.
Alex Wagner? Same.
José Díaz-Balart? Same.
Joy Ann Reid? Same. And leaving.

How about Jonathan Capehart and Ayman Mohyeldin? Their solo weekend shows are canceled.

Phang, Wagner and Diaz-Balart were reassigned and will see little airtime. Capehart and Mohyeldin will maintain nominal, joint hosting duties on weekend shows no longer bearing their respective names. And “Joy Reid is leaving the network.” Those were the words MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler chose as she informed network staff of the lineup changes. Her memo had all the compassion of an Elon Musk Friday Massacre.

Rashida Jones, the first Black woman to lead a major cable news network, left MSNBC last month after a four-year tenure. Kutler assumed a singular mandate as the new network president: boosting ratings (AKA corporate profits).

By yanking these hosts and their shows, what message is MSNBC trying to send? That shows hosted by people of color are not profitable? That hosts of color are to blame for MSNBC’s low ratings?

Of the many, many ex-MSNBC viewers I’ve talked to, all point out the monumental act of cowardice and capitulation as the Morning Joe lovebirds kissed Donald Trump’s ring at Mar-A-Lago after the election. Be it known that no host of color betrayed MSNBC’s purported values. That was Joe and Mika. But Kutler apparently thinks MSNBC’s brand is just fine.

(photo: New MSNBC president, Rebecca Kutler)

Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele and Symone Sanders-Townsend will jointly host the 7:00 p.m. ET hour weekday show replacing The Reid Report. Congrats to them on the move from weekend to weekday evening programming, and congrats to Ana Cabrera — the singular weekday host of color that MSNBC is keeping on air, now with an additional hour hosting.

Lest we forget (ahem, fellow white people) the social and historical context of MSNBC’s announcement. People of color were kept off television for decades. Local stations were segregated. Programming for communities of color was sparse or non-existent. Non-white characters (in their few opportunities to appear in white-dominated films and TV shows) were given roles that reinforced harmful and hurtful racial stereotypes. The big screen and the living room TV screen were weapons – and people of color felt the pain. The legacy continues today as big roles and awards are disproportionately given to white performers.

Here’s the deal: MSNBC will not “Lean Forward” by stumbling back to the 1950s.

MSNBC’s shift is part of a larger corporate media trend of normalizing Trump. Networks are prioritizing profits over principle, rolling out the red carpet for Trump’s rebrand while silencing voices that hold him accountable. This isn’t just bad programming — it’s a threat to democracy.

When corporate media chases “balance,” it ends up legitimizing fascism. We saw it in 2016 when networks aired Trump’s unhinged rallies unfiltered. Now, MSNBC is clearing out voices of color and critical perspectives. The message is clear: they’re making room for more “both sides” garbage.

If MSNBC wants to pander to the right, let them lose viewers. Progressives built MSNBC’s brand — if they want to become CNN-lite or Fox-with-slicker-packaging, let them fade into irrelevance. Our time, our money, and our attention should go to independent outlets and fearless journalists who actually fight for democracy.

This isn’t just about diversity and representation — it’s about truth. The hosts MSNBC sidelined weren’t just diverse; they were some of the toughest, most uncompromising voices taking on Trump, white supremacy, and Republican corruption. Taking them off air is a choice, and it’s one that helps the people trying to burn democracy to the ground.

(photo credit: AP)

Democrats don’t need permission from the media to be fighters. If MSNBC thinks it can play footsie with Trumpism without consequences, they’re dead wrong. The Democratic base is done being passive. We’ll build our own platforms, boost our own voices, and hold every institution accountable—including the ones that claim to be on our side.

The network no longer deserves our viewership as progressives. This was the last straw. Fuck them. Seriously. Fuck them.

My advice? Keep a close eye on Joy Ann Reid’s next move. Wherever she decides to apply her brilliance, get your news there. Follow Katie Phang, Alex Wagner, and José Díaz-Balart on social media. Amplify their voices and the voices of other journalists of color, especially Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Jonathan Capehart, Ayman Mohyeldin, and Ana Cabrera.

And to my fellow white, non-Hispanic men of good conscience, if you aren’t using your privilege to lift up others, you’re doing it wrong. If you haven’t been mocked as “woke” or had your masculinity questioned lately for giving a shit about others, fight harder against injustice — every time — including and especially when that injustice is perpetrated by so-called friends.

MSNBC thinks we’ll take this lying down. They couldn’t be more wrong. Turn off MSNBC and never turn it on again.