Nearly six months after her firing from MSNBC, Joy Reid claimed that during her tenure at the network she made a tenth of what her male counterparts did, despite higher ratings.
The former host of “The ReidOut” was interviewed at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival’s C-Suite Soirée by Jotaka Eaddy, founder of social impact consulting firm Full Circle Strategies. There she unpacked pay disparities she experienced at MSNBC and got candid about her departure.
“I worked in a business where I was paid a 10th of the salary of people who did literally my same job, the whole time I worked there,” she said of the network, since renamed to MS NOW. “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.”
Ahead of her firing post-election, there were whispers that “The ReidOut” host and other anchors were offered pay cuts to keep costs in check at the network.
Reid went on to note that even though she worked “the hardest,” putting in the overtime hours that her male, oftentimes white, counterparts did not, her salary did not reflect that.
MSNBC did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
“They get the sort of presumption of brilliance,” she said. “The Elon Musk presumption, where people are like ‘You look like a genius, you must be a genius.’ But they’re not. They work less hours and make more than us, get bigger raises, more opportunities and more grace. This is the world we live in.”
Since leaving the news network, Reid has decided to launch a YouTube podcast called “The Joy Reid Show.” There the former anchor uploads daily, giving her takes on politics, news and culture. Reid launched the video podcast June 9.
MSNBC replaced “The ReidOut” with a new show hosted by “The Weekend” anchors Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez. MSNBC host Alex Wagner was also replaced for her 9 p.m. spot but has remained with the network as a correspondent.
