Joy Reid has been off the air at MSNBC for some time now, but the network where she rose to prominence is undergoing its own changes. MSNBC is preparing for a full rebrand, soon relaunching as MS NOW as it reshapes its identity following its split from NBC Comcast.
Amid news of the network’s changes, reports have resurfaced about the significant pay gap between Reid and her former primetime counterpart Rachel Maddow. According to People magazine, Reid claims she earned about $3 million a year during her tenure. This is just a fraction of Maddow’s reported $30 million annual salary. Reid did not discuss if there were rating differences between the two shows.
Was Reid Shorted?
With the rebrand on the horizon, industry insiders are watching closely to see how MS NOW’s new direction will impact its lineup and legacy.
Reid revealed during panel talk at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival on Aug. 7 that she faced major pay disparities throughout her career, noting that men in her position often negotiated higher salaries even with lower ratings.
“I worked in a business where I was paid a tenth of the salary of people who did literally my same job, the whole time I worked there,” she said. “And we knew that any man that was doing what I was doing was going to make more than me. And that they were going to be able to negotiate higher salaries, even at lower ratings.”
Her comments point to a broader workplace reality many professionals face. It is about pay gaps driven not only by gender but also by race and perceived leverage at the negotiating table.
In Reid’s words, it’s the “curse of competency,” working harder, doing more hours, and carrying more responsibility without compensation to match. Reid officially exited the network in February when her nightly show “The ReidOut” was canceled.
MSNBC’s new president, Rebecca Culter, thanked her for her contributions in a staff memo and highlighted her most recent honor, the 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding News Series.
For Reid, the next chapter is independent.
She now hosts “The Joy Reid Show” daily on YouTube, where she delivers her perspective on news, politics, and culture with full control over her platform and earnings potential.
But the way she was pushed out still raises questions.
In a “Breakfast Club” interview on June 24, Reid revealed she first learned her show was on the chopping block not from her bosses, but from a Puck News article published on Feb. 22, according to McClatchy News.
Management only followed up later that same day to confirm she was out, offering little explanation beyond vague “changes.”
“I was fired immediately, there was no warning,” Reid told the radio show. “They said, ‘Oh, like, we just want to make some changes.’”
Reid said she was reassured about her ratings just weeks before, which suggests her dismissal had less to do with performance and more to do with what she chose to cover on air.
