Keith Olbermann Calls Out MSNBC for 'Brutally Racist' Decision to Axe 'Minorities' and Their Shows, Including Joy Reid

Mar. 15, 2025

Keith Olbermann (left) and Joy Reid.Photo:Chris Sorensen for The Washington Post via Getty; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Chris Sorensen for The Washington Post via Getty; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Keith Olbermann wants his former employer to know what he thinks of its latest actions.

On Monday, Feb. 24, MSNBC’s new president Rebecca Kulter announced thatThe ReidOut’s Joy Reid would beleaving the networkafter 10 years. Earlier this month,Andrea Mitchellgave her last broadcast of MSNBC’sAndrea Mitchell Reports, while Jonathan Capehart, Ayman Mohyeldin, Katie Phang and Alex Wagner also reportedly had their shows canceled.

Olbermann, who hostedCountdown with Keith Olbermannon MSNBC from March 2003 to January 2011, elaborated on hisCountdown with Keith Olbermannpodcaston Feb. 24 and claimed that MSNBC gave “no pretense being made” about Reid’s departure, which he believes is part of a “racist purge” at the network.

Olbermann also wondered “why on earth would they do this?” and said it “reeks of ‘we don’t care if you think we are racists.'”

“Fire all the minorities around the place and you are signaling to the viewers that you do not care about diversity of opinion,” the former anchor said, later adding, “what you are doing is racism.”

Joy Reid appears on ‘Meet the Press’ in Washington, D.C., Aug. 13, 2017.William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty

William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty

Olbermann continued to make his point known on social media, as others likeRachel Maddowstarted to weigh in andcondemn Reid’s departure.

During a Feb. 24 broadcast ofThe Rachel Maddow Show, Maddow, 51, called it “a bad mistake to let [Reid] walk out the door.” When a commenter disagreed with Maddow’s message on social media, Olbermannwrote on X, “It’s racism, you f—ing bloated nitwit. They fired all the hosts of color.”

Additionally, he called on Maddow,Chris Hayes, and Lawrence O’Donnell to take a stand and not do their shows on the evening of Feb. 25 in protest of MSNBC’s actions. “If you go on the air tonight - or at minimum go on without condemning the overt racism of the people who give you $25 million a year - you are complicit,” hewrote on X.

Rachel Maddow on ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ on Dec. 21, 2016 in New York City.Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Kulter broke the news about Reid’s departure in a memo to staff on Feb. 24. “Joy Reid is leaving the network and we thank her for her countless contributions over the years,” she wrote. “Her work has been recognized with several esteemed honors, including most recently, the 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding News Series.”

In the memo, Kutler noted that rotating anchors will fill in Reid’s 7 p.m. slot in the coming weeks. The three anchors — Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez — are currently hosts ofThe Weekend, and will now move to weekdays at 7 p.m. to host a new ensemble hour of news. The move also makes Menendez the first Latina in MSNBC primetime.

From left: Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, and Symone Sanders Townsend.Virginia Sherwood/MSNBC

Virginia Sherwood/MSNBC

Additionally, a source familiar with the situation tells PEOPLE that Phang and Wagner are expected to remain at the network as a legal correspondent and senior political analyst, respectively, despite MSNBC no longer broadcasting their shows.

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The source also notes that the network is in the process of hiring POLITICO’s Eugene Daniels as a host, and has the most diverse lineup across all of cable news.

source: people.com