After years in traditional media, Joy Reid is embarking on a new chapter on her own terms—one that combines the honesty her audience expects with the freedom to speak without filters.
The veteran journalist and best-selling author settles into our conversation with the same warmth and directness that have connected her with audiences for years. It’s a combination of honesty and approachability that defines her voice. Since launching The Joy Reid Show podcast in June, she’s been navigating her own path with that same authentic style.
“Most importantly, I am feeling wonderful,” Reid says, reflecting on the whirlwind months since her departure from MSNBC during Black History Month. “I’m producing content that I love, that I’m super proud of. I’m doing a show that I love, and it’s been, to me, the perfect transition from traditional to this new media.”
The numbers tell the story of that successful transition. Within two weeks of launch, The Joy Reid Show reached one million streams on YouTube—a milestone that arrived with a congratulatory email and award from the platform. “It just made me feel so good that it’s like my people are here with me, and we’re doing the thing.”
The podcast’s early success was anchored by strategic guest booking that showcased Reid’s range and connections. Her opening interview with comedian and writer Amber Ruffin set the tone: “She came to the studio and we caught up in the basement, like Big Tigger,” Reid laughs, referencing the iconic Rap City: Tha Basement show—one of many nostalgic callbacks woven throughout the series. The interview performed exceptionally well, validating Reid’s instincts about what her audience craved.
But she says a collaborative special coverage event truly demonstrated the power of independent media. Reid reached out to fellow departed network journalists Don Lemon and Jim Acosta with a bold proposal: join forces for comprehensive coverage of President Donald Trump’s June 14 military parade.
“I said, would you guys be interested and open to doing a special coverage with me… I feel like the three of us should get together and form a super group,” Reid explains.
The result was groundbreaking—three broadcasters from two different networks, all having left corporate media, delivering three hours of live coverage that included protest coverage from multiple cities, expert analysis and man-on-the-street interviews. The broadcast was simulcast across all their platforms—YouTube, Substack and their individual shows—creating a cumulative audience that rivaled traditional networks.
“We got what a network would get cumulatively between all six of those platforms,” Reid notes with satisfaction.
The podcast has also featured in-depth interviews, including a conversation with Ebrahim Rasool, the former South African ambassador to the U.S. The discussion explored the Trump administration’s approach to South Africa—especially the controversy around Rasool’s expulsion and the ‘white genocide’ narrative that gained traction at the time.
For Reid, a daughter of immigrants from the Congo and Guyana, the decision to keep moving forward rather than take a break was driven by a sense of urgency.
“I think events kind of dictated how I moved in that moment,” she explains. “I lost the MSNBC gig during Black History Month, which was interesting, but there was a lot that was also happening in February. People started literally disappearing off of our streets for writing op-eds that the administration didn’t like, or seemingly just for being the wrong-color immigrant.”
This personal connection to the immigration crisis shapes Reid’s perspective on why Black Americans must engage with these issues.
“The reality is that Black immigrants are so deeply integrated into the African American story—into our culture,” she says. “If you care about African American history, you have to understand how deeply people who were born outside the United States are woven into that history. If you’re ignoring immigration, you have to ignore Malcolm X, you have to ignore Marcus Garvey, you have to ignore Stokely Carmichael.”
Reid adds, “Nobody asks where you were born when you’re followed around Bloomingdale’s, or Macy’s, or Walmart. Nobody asks when you’re being mistreated by police. They’re not paying attention to your accent or your birthplace.”
Reid’s analysis of the current political moment is both sobering and instructive. She draws a clear distinction between Trump’s first and second terms:
“The difference between Trump 1.0 and Trump 2.0 is that Trump 2.0 has a plan. He’s surrounded by people who are sycophants, television hosts, characters… none of whom have the experience to do the jobs they’re doing. But he does also have a plan. And the plan is Project 2025.”
When it comes to speaking truth to power, Reid credits her upbringing.
“I am my mother’s daughter. That lady was such an adventurer that in her 30s, she got on a ship and went off to England by herself, got her degree there, came to the United States by herself, and then helped bring her family members over.”
This fearless foundation has carried Reid through her career, even when facing professional consequences.
“The worst thing that can happen if you speak out is what happened to me at MSNBC. You lose your job,” Reid acknowledges. “But I also had the self-confidence, and I also had the privilege of the education I was able to gain, that I know I can land on my feet. I’m a writer. I can always make a living as a writer.”
Reid’s evolution isn’t just professional—it’s deeply personal. Her recent decision to cut her hair short and go blonde represents a journey toward authentic self-expression that many Black women in media can relate to.
“I finally did it, and I love it, and it’s so fun,” she says. “I think we’ve been so kind of tormented about our hair as Black women, and our hair has always been political. It used to be illegal for us to wear braids—or not illegal, but people could fire you for wearing braids.”
“I definitely had the anxiety of, how is this going to go over? You know, go over with my audience. And so we think about it all.” But now Reid says she feels free.
The transition from corporate to independent media has allowed Reid to connect with audiences in new ways.
“What we’re learning, and what I think the media infrastructure, the traditional infrastructure, are learning, is that there is an audience for many, if you’ve developed your following. That audience is yours. It’s gonna follow you wherever you go.”
“We want you to be informed—because you’ve got to know what’s going on—but we don’t want you to feel despair,” Reid says, explaining her show’s mission. “We want you to have a little bit of joy, and we also want you to feel empowered. That after an hour of watching The Joy Reid Show, you come away thinking: I can argue with my Trumpy uncle. I’m ready to vote, I’m ready to move, march—whatever I need to do. I have the information I need to thrive, even in this environment.”
As Reid reflects on Essence’s 55-year legacy, she connects her current journey to the magazine’s foundational mission.
Essence has always been reasserting the beauty and value of Black women and Black girls. “As a Black girl, all you saw was Farrah Fawcett and white women in shampoo commercials and you didn’t see us, but Essence is where we saw us.”
Now, through her independent platform, Reid continues that tradition—creating space for Black voices, perspectives and stories that might otherwise be marginalized. In an era of rapid media transformation, she’s not just adapting to change; she’s helping to define what comes next.
“What’s the point of having that platform if you can’t be a blessing to the world, if you can’t speak up for the people who don’t have the ability to speak, who don’t have the voice, who don’t have the platform?” Reid asks. “I feel like it’s my responsibility.”
It’s a responsibility she’s embracing with characteristic boldness, proving that sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is simply refuse to be silenced.