Joy Reid joins the MSNBC lineup with her own weekday show, “The Reid Report,” which is set to debut this afternoon 2 p.m. EST.
“We are going to be the table-setter for prime-time, we are coming out of the MSNBC straight-up news block, where you get your who, what, when, where, why, and we’re going to do a deep dive into policy and analysis, but we also want to have a little fun,” Reid said.
Reid made guest appearances and filled in for other show hosts before the network announced last fall that she would be added to the daytime lineup. The long-time blogger and managing editor of theGrio calls this her “dream job.” She’s unfazed by the pressure of carrying her own show and quickly shoots down rumors of competition between African-American female anchors like Melissa Harris-Perry. In fact, the journalist has nothing but respect for her other colleagues and wishes them well.
“I’m not doing a show based on the competition, I’m confident that if I do a great show, and I give people information, and I make it fun and interesting to watch, the ratings will take care of themselves,” she exclusively told Mediaite.
Asked if she was setting an example for America’s acceptance of darker-skinned women reporting the news, Reid replied, “Black women are so varied that any Black woman in the public eye has the opportunity to be a role model for some Black girl and I think that’s great for diversity.”
Reid gave her supporters, whom she affectionately calls “reiders,” a sneak peek of what to expect from the debut show through a video on the website for “The Reid Report.” Along with a mix of politics and current events like NFL prospect Michael Sams’ coming out story, Smokey Robinson will be on to discuss the 2014 BET Honors.
Tune in 2 p.m. EST to MSNBC for the debut of “The Reid Report.”