Joy Reid is returning to the mic—this time, on her own terms.
With the launch of “The Joy Reid Show,” the Emmy-nominated journalist is stepping out from behind the confines of a network news desk and into the podcast world, a space where she can speak as herself, to her people, her way.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been proud to serve as a trustworthy voice in journalism, particularly as a Black woman in spaces where the perspectives of women, and particularly women of color, are too often underrepresented,” Reid said in a press release. “This new podcast marks an exciting new chapter—an opportunity to reach broader audiences, build vibrant communities, and lead thoughtful conversations on the issues that matter.”
For years, Reid has delivered sharp, unflinching political analysis to millions of viewers. She’s given us the facts with clarity and brought a level of insight that only a Black woman who understands both the stakes and the soul of this country could offer.
So when MSNBC abruptly canceled her show, “The ReidOut,” earlier this year, fans felt the absence deeply. Recognizing that communities are “scared” and “freaked out by all the chaos and cruelty” in today’s political climate, Reid is coming back to offer what she always has: care, truth, and just a little bit of joy.
“I always say scary is caring, so I’m about telling it the way it is. And you know this, but you know what else is also caring? Paying attention and getting involved to the extent you can,” she says in the podcast trailer. “But also taking some time to laugh…literally laugh at the fools that are conducting the madness, and maybe even just have a little nonpolitical, actual joy.”
Set to premiere June 9, the show will give fans a fuller view of Joy Reid: the analyst, the auntie, the cultural critic, and the woman who’s not afraid to call a fool a fool. With episodes dropping Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays across YouTube and all major podcast platforms, the “Joy Reid Show” is expected to be equal parts analytical, intimate, and entertaining. Monday and Wednesday episodes will bring deep dives into the headlines and the humans shaping them, while Friday’s “Freestyle Fridays” turn the mic to the people, sparking real-time convo with Reid’s audience, Substack community (“Joy’s House”), and surprise guests.
With plans to expand to five days a week and build out a fully engaged listening community, “The Joy Reid Show” will also include beloved segments from her hit show “The Reid Out,” like “Who Won The Week.”
For its debut, the show kicks off with heavyweight guests, including Newark Mayor and 2025 gubernatorial hopeful Ras Baraka, comedian Amber Ruffin, and former South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, who have each had their own unique experiences with the current administration.
In addition to being a source of reliable information, “to help you navigate this mess when your crazy high school friends are spreading disinformation online and in your text groups,” Reid describes “The Joy Reid Show” as one for “for all the aunties and uncles and youngins and Uber drivers and just folks who’d come up to me all over the country and ask, ‘Where can we find you next? We need you’—I got you. Let’s do this.”
