Joy Reid's controversial statements have frequently drawn criticism for their inflammatory and unsubstantiated nature. Following Donald Trump’s victory in the Iowa Caucuses in January 2024, Reid alleged that his white Christian supporters desired nonwhites to “bow down to them,” a claim that sparked outrage for its broad generalizations and divisive framing.
Later in November 2024, she escalated her rhetoric by falsely asserting that President Trump sought "reparations for white people," a baseless accusation that was widely debunked. Such remarks have fueled ongoing debates over the role of media figures in stoking division and perpetuating misinformation, with critics arguing that Reid’s comments often cross the line into hyperbole and fabrication.
Despite MSNBC's stated commitment to "accuracy and fairness," critics often point to the network's programming as heavily skewed toward opinion rather than objective news. According to analysis from AllSides, MSNBC consists of about 85% opinion content and only 15% straight news reporting, raising questions about the balance between factual reporting and commentary.
While its anchors and contributors frequently address significant political and social issues, the strong ideological framing within many segments can blur the lines between analysis and advocacy. This approach has led to accusations of bias, though MSNBC argues that it takes prompt action to correct any identified inaccuracies in its reporting. The ongoing debate highlights the broader challenge for media consumers to discern fact from perspective in today's polarized landscape
One of the most glaring contradictions in MSNBC’s narrative of a “mutual parting” with Alec Baldwin stems from the timeline and circumstances surrounding his departure. Officially, the network stated that Baldwin’s exit was a joint decision following the backlash from his reported altercation with a photographer.
However, many observers argue that this explanation appears to be less about collaboration and more a strategic effort to shield MSNBC from the fallout of mounting controversies. By framing the departure as amicable, the network seemed intent on steering focus away from both Baldwin’s contentious actions and their own handling of the situation, raising serious questions about the transparency of this so-called mutual agreement.
Melissa Harris-Perry’s abrupt departure from MSNBC in 2016 is a glaring example of the tensions that can arise between a host’s creative independence and a network’s corporate interests. Harris-Perry, who had become a prominent voice on the network, publicly expressed her frustration with being sidelined during a critical election season, a move she viewed as an erasure of the identity and trust she had cultivated with her audience over four years.
Her blunt and impassioned email to colleagues shed light on her feelings of being marginalized and stripped of the platform she had worked hard to build. While MSNBC claimed the decision to part ways with Harris-Perry was mutual, her candid remarks, including her refusal to be used as a “tool” or reduced to a racial stereotype, painted a starkly different picture. This incident raised significant questions about the network’s commitment to fostering diverse perspectives and underscored the broader challenges journalists and commentators face in asserting their voices within corporate media structures.
Chris Matthews' abrupt departure from MSNBC in 2020 revealed a troubling pattern long ignored by the network. Despite his eventual apology acknowledging how his past remarks about women were inappropriate, his history of on-air comments painted a more concerning picture. Matthews had frequently reduced women to their appearances, from calling journalist Erin Burnett “a knockout” to making demeaning remarks about political figures like Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham.
These behaviors spanned years, suggesting a workplace culture that tolerated such conduct. The allegations brought forward by journalist Laura Bassett in 2020 and Matthews’ subsequent resignation raised questions about why MSNBC continued to uplift his platform for so long, even as complaints and evidence of his remarks became well-documented. This scenario underscored how corporate media often fails to act on concerns unless public pressure forces accountability.
The claim that MSNBC conducted an “extensive review” prior to firing Don Imus following his infamous remarks about the Rutgers women’s basketball team has often been met with skepticism. Many have questioned whether the network’s decision was truly the result of a thorough and impartial evaluation or a swift reaction to mounting public outrage and pressure from advertisers.
While MSNBC framed the move as a principled stance against offensive speech, critics have suggested it was more about damage control and preserving their brand. This has led to a broader conversation about the authenticity of corporate accountability and the role of public perception in high-profile terminations.
One of the most controversial moments involving MSNBC came in March 2021, when Joy Reid made a highly charged statement during a segment. Reid claimed that conservatives would willingly trade tax cuts for the ability to "openly say the n-word," suggesting that some felt oppressed because they could not be "openly racist."
This comment drew a significant backlash from various groups, with critics accusing Reid of making inflammatory and unfounded generalizations. While the segment sparked heated debates about race and political civility, it also raised questions about the role of hyperbolic rhetoric in media and the potential consequences of such statements on public discourse.
Media narratives can sometimes blur the lines between fact and fiction, especially when it comes to controversial figures like Michael Savage. One misconception often perpetuated by outlets like MSNBC is the idea that his short-lived tenure on their network was doomed from the start solely due to his provocative nature. While Savage has never shied away from controversy, the decision to hire him as a host came directly from MSNBC’s president, Erik Sorenson, who openly praised him for being “brash, passionate and smart.”
This raises questions about whether MSNBC was genuinely unprepared for Savage’s outspoken style or if their eventual decision to fire him after a contentious on-air remark had more to do with internal and external pressures rather than the incident itself. The narrative becomes even more layered when considering Savage’s continued presence in media through platforms like Newsmax, challenging the simplified portrayal of his career.
In April 2022, former NFL player Jack Brewer threatened to sue Joy Reid for defamation following her comments about his charity program. Reid had claimed that allowing children from Brewer's program to attend the signing of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' "Stop WOKE" bill amounted to "child abuse." Brewer vehemently denied the accusations, calling them baseless and inflammatory.
He argued that his charity work aimed to uplift underprivileged youth and accused Reid of using divisive rhetoric for political gain. The incident sparked intense debate, with critics of Reid highlighting concerns over her exaggerated claims, while her supporters framed the controversy as part of a broader critique of the "Stop WOKE" legislation.
The decision to hire former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as a paid political analyst sparked swift backlash among MSNBC’s leading anchors, igniting a newsroom-wide revolt. Figures like Chuck Todd, Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough, Nicolle Wallace, and Rachel Maddow voiced strong objections to McDaniel’s addition, citing her involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. These objections reflected deeper concerns about the credibility and values of NBC News.
Under mounting internal pressure, NBC News reversed its decision within days, with NBCUniversal News Group President Cesar Conde announcing McDaniel’s departure in a memo that acknowledged the strain the controversy had placed on the network. While Conde referred to "legitimate concerns" in his statement, the incident revealed fractures within the organization, as anchors challenged leadership on ethical grounds. This episode highlighted the tension between corporate decisions and journalistic integrity, as well as the growing willingness of prominent voices within MSNBC to push back against network executives.
In July 2020, national affairs analyst John Heilemann spread a conspiracy theory that Trump was prepping to use military to seize the presidential election through force: "Is there anybody who doesn’t think Donald Trump would try to employ Martial Law if he thought that was the only way to stay in power?"
Similarly, he claimed in 2023 that the story about the Biden administration banning gas stoves was just Republican fake news. In reality, the CPSC memorandum was titled "Proposing Ban on Gas Stoves." These baseless claim were criticized as fearmongering and damaging to public trust in the electoral process.
In 2018, past homophobic posts from Joy Reid's old blog resurfaced, leading to significant backlash. Initially, Reid lied that the posts had been the result of hacking, despite the Internet Archive, which stores archived web pages, denying this claim. However, after BuzzFeed uncovered more archived posts.
These included one where Reid promoted a 9/11 conspiracy theory and another featuring an image of John McCain photoshopped onto the body of mass murderer Seung-Hui Cho. Only after these incidents did Reid issue a formal apology. Meghan McCain, the daughter of John McCain, condemned the post as "beyond disgusting and disgraceful." In her second apology, Reid refrained from repeating her earlier claim about hackers.
In October 2015, MSNBC faced criticism over a series of mistakes during its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, further fueling accusations of anti-Israel bias. Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting live from Gaza, stated that he had witnessed an unarmed Palestinian man being shot by Israeli police at the Damascus Gate.
However, the studio anchor quickly corrected him, as photos and live footage showed that the man was holding a large knife, and video footage confirmed that police had repeatedly ordered him to stop as he swung it at them. Despite having initially claimed to have a clear view of the incident, Mohyeldin later tried to backtrack, saying the situation was moving too fast for him to properly focus. It was later revealed that the incident had not taken place in front of NBC News cameras, raising further questions about his account.
Following the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Semafor reported that a number of Muslim MSNBC hosts, including Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohyeldin, and Ali Velshi, were reportedly sidelined from covering the conflict. These hosts, who are known for their perspectives on Middle Eastern issues and have a background in reporting on global affairs, were noticeably absent from major coverage of the war.
The report raised questions about whether their ethnic and religious backgrounds had an impact on their involvement in covering the story, particularly given the sensitive and contentious nature of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Critics suggested that sidelining these Muslim hosts might have been an attempt by the network to avoid the appearance of favoritism or partiality, but others viewed it as a missed opportunity for diverse perspectives in the coverage of such an important event.
In January 2015, Arsalan Iftikhar of TheMuslimGuy.com appeared on MSNBC to discuss Republican Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's claims about alleged Muslim "no-go zones" in London. During the segment, Iftikhar suggested that Jindal, who is of Indian-American descent, "might be trying to scrub some of the brown off his skin" in preparation for a potential 2016 presidential bid.
Host Alex Wagner did not challenge the remark. Following the broadcast, MSNBC issued a statement condemning the comment, calling it "offensive and unacceptable," and confirmed they would not be inviting Iftikhar back on the network. This incident is fishy because the host didn't challenge the comment when it happened, only after the backlash...
On February 2, 2019, NBC reported that Tulsi Gabbard, the third Democrat to enter the presidential race, was benefiting from Russian state media, claiming she had received twice as many mentions on outlets like RT, Sputnik News, and Russia Insider compared to other candidates like Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. The following day, journalist Glenn Greenwald criticized the article’s sourcing, pointing out that the claims were based on a programmer who tracks troll accounts as a hobby and the controversial firm New Knowledge.
Greenwald also highlighted that New Knowledge had previously been involved in a "false flag" operation to discredit Roy Moore, which led to the firm's suspension from Facebook and a request for an investigation by Moore's opponent, Doug Jones. Greenwald condemned NBC journalist Ben Popken for tweeting that "the Kremlin already has a crush on Tulsi Gabbard." Popken defended New Knowledge, dismissing the accusations as “wild conflation and hyperbole,” while Gabbard argued that NBC was attempting to discredit her foreign policy views through guilt by association.
On May 5, 2014, during the show Way Too Early, a segment about Cinco de Mayo's historical significance featured Louis Burgdorf dancing around the set in a sombrero, shaking maracas, and drinking tequila, which host Thomas Roberts referred to as "go-go juice." This segment quickly drew backlash for mocking Mexican culture and relying on harmful stereotypes.
The next day, MSNBC issued an apology, claiming there was no intention to be disrespectful and that, while the props had been planned, Roberts and Burgdorf acted out of their own volition. Both hosts also apologized, though they partly shifted some of the responsibility to their producers, suggesting that the segment should never have aired in the first place. It's a bunch of "he said, she said," and nobody really was honest enough to take responsibility.
On Morning Joe, a segment discussing Mitt Romney’s reliance on the popularity of his running mate, Paul Ryan, began with a clip from a Romney rally showing the crowd chanting. In the clip, Romney is seen instructing the crowd to chant "Romney-Ryan," but the subtitle provided by the show suggests the crowd was chanting just "Ryan." This gave the impression that Romney had inserted his own name into a chant that was originally for Ryan. A caller to TheBlaze TV's Pat & Stu show, who claimed to have attended the rally, said the crowd had actually been chanting "Romney."
Reporters from BuzzFeed and The New York Times confirmed that the crowd had chanted "Romney," and Romney had added Ryan’s name. In response to the backlash, Joe Scarborough tweeted that the crowd was chanting "Ryan" and would "note those who link to the lie." Lauren Skowronski, a spokeswoman for Morning Joe, emailed a statement saying the video clip was shown exactly as it was recorded, although it was clear the "Ryan" subtitle had been added.
Phil Donahue’s talk show, Donahue, was canceled by MSNBC in late February 2003 during the lead-up to the Iraq War. Although the network initially claimed the decision was due to low ratings, the show was actually MSNBC’s top-rated program that month. A leaked internal memo from NBC revealed deeper concerns:
The network worried that Donahue’s platform might become a "home for the liberal antiwar agenda at the same time that our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity." The network tried to cover up their concerns with excuses and lies, but fan of the show knew that low ratings weren't the problem.
On November 5, 2010, MSNBC President Phil Griffin suspended Keith Olbermann indefinitely and without pay after it was revealed he had donated $2,400—the maximum allowed—to three Democratic candidates during the 2010 midterm elections. According to NBC News policy, employees are prohibited from making political contributions without prior approval, but many of their top workers were dishonest about their donations.
On November 7, Olbermann thanked his supporters on Twitter, and later that day, MSNBC announced he would return to the air on November 9. Two weeks later, Joe Scarborough, host of Morning Joe, faced a similar suspension after it was discovered he had donated $4,000 to Republican candidates in Florida without authorization. Like Olbermann, Scarborough’s suspension was brief, and he resumed hosting duties on November 24.
Freedom to Marry/Keith Olbermann/CC BY 2.0/Flickr; Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
On November 13, 2009, just before Sarah Palin’s book Going Rogue was released, MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan aired photoshopped images of the former Republican vice-presidential candidate during the Morning Meeting program. The segment quickly drew backlash for its unprofessional and misleading nature.
A few days later, Ratigan issued an apology, acknowledging the mistake. He stated, “I want to apologize to Governor Palin and all of our viewers. On Friday, in a very misguided attempt to have some fun in advance of Sarah Palin's upcoming book Going Rogue, our staff mistakenly used some clearly photoshopped images of Ms. Palin without any acknowledgment.”
Anchor Andrea Mitchell was caught airing a manipulated video clip of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney during a rally in Pennsylvania. The edited footage made it appear that Romney was simply marveling at the custom-made sandwiches available through a touch-screen ordering system at a Wawa convenience store.
However, what viewers didn’t see was nearly three minutes of Romney talking about the large amount of paperwork an optometrist he spoke with had to deal with when trying to change his address with the post office. Romney used this example to sarcastically highlight how the private sector, like Wawa, can often be more efficient than government systems.
During the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Mehdi Hasan became a prominent figure due to his vocal and often controversial perspectives on the conflict. As a host known for his pointed questioning and critical stance on Israeli policies, Hasan challenged Israeli officials on air, which led to accusations of him holding an anti-Israel bias. His approach to the coverage, which included questioning Israel’s actions during the war, drew criticism from various quarters, especially from those who supported Israel's right to defend itself.
Amid growing tensions over his comments, MSNBC announced the cancellation of both Hasan's show on MSNBC and Peacock. In January 2024, Mehdi Hasan officially parted ways with MSNBC, marking the end of his tenure at the network. His departure followed months of controversy surrounding his reporting on the Israel-Hamas war, and the incident is shrouded in lies.
MSNBC has faced criticism for its treatment of Andrew Yang during the 2020 presidential campaign. For example, on June 9, 2019, MSNBC cited a poll but omitted Yang, who was ranked 8th, while displaying 20 other candidates. Similarly, in November 2019, despite Yang tying for 6th place, he was excluded from a graphic showcasing the top polling candidates. Yang's supporters also criticized MSNBC when part of his speech at the Poor People's Campaign Presidential Forum was cut, though the footage was later removed.
The network’s treatment worsened during the November debate, where Yang received the least speaking time of any candidate, with no time to speak for the first 32 minutes. Critics accused MSNBC of suppressing Yang’s voice, which led to protests from his supporters outside the debate studio. Following the debate, Yang rejected a request to appear on MSNBC unless the network issued an on-air apology, represented his campaign fairly according to his polling, and allowed surrogates from his campaign as they did for other candidates.
On January 29, 2014, MSNBC’s official Twitter account posted a tweet suggesting that conservatives would oppose a Cheerios commercial featuring a biracial family, implying that they "hate" such families: "Maybe the rightwing will hate it, but everyone else will go awww: the adorable new #Cheerios ad w/ biracial family" This move was seen as a dishonest attempt to promote a divisive agenda by falsely portraying conservatives as bigoted.
In response, conservative blogger Michelle Malkin led a campaign with the hashtag #myrightwingbiracialfamily, where many conservatives shared pictures of their own biracial families. MSNBC later deleted the tweet and issued an apology, claiming, "The Cheerios tweet from @msnbc was dumb, offensive and we've taken it down. That's not who we are at MSNBC." This incident highlighted MSNBC's willingness to manipulate narratives and use race to push a political agenda.
After the 2011 Tucson shooting, conservative talk-radio host Mark Levin threatened legal action against Chris Matthews and other MSNBC commentators who insinuated that he, along with others, may have influenced the shooter, Jared Lee Loughner. Levin also came to the defense of Republican politician Sarah Palin, challenging MSNBC pundits who connected her political rhetoric to the charged atmosphere surrounding the tragedy.
Paul Bond from The Hollywood Reporter noted that MSNBC played a significant role in promoting the narrative that the shooter had been influenced by violent political language, particularly that of Palin. Even after it became clear that Loughner's views were not aligned with Palin's, being an atheist and a critic of both Bush and 9/11, Bond observed that MSNBC continued to push the same storyline.
On January 26, 2020, while reporting on the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, MSNBC's Alison Morris appeared to mistakenly say what sounded like "the Los Angeles N-words" when referring to Bryant's former team, the Los Angeles Lakers. Morris immediately corrected herself, saying "Los Angeles Lakers." She later explained that she had stumbled over her words, claiming she said "Los Angeles Nakers," combining "Knicks" and "Lakers" due to a verbal slip, and denied using the racial slur.
The incident sparked widespread backlash, with many accusing Morris of racism. Despite her denial, the controversy gained significant attention, leading to a petition demanding her termination, which gathered over 184,000 signatures. Who knows if she was actually ??????telling the truth?
A study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism found that MSNBC's coverage of Mitt Romney in the final week of the 2012 presidential campaign was overwhelmingly negative, with 68% of stories casting him in a negative light and no positive coverage in the sample.
This was significantly more negative than the overall media coverage, and even more so compared to the period from October 1 to 28, when 57% of stories about Romney were negative and just 5% were positive. In contrast, MSNBC's coverage of President Obama improved in the final week. From October 1 to 28, 33% of stories were positive and 13% were negative, but in the final week of the campaign, 51% of the coverage was positive, with no negative stories about Obama at all in the sample.
In his book Medium Blue: The Politics of MSNBC, Michael Arria argues that the real issue with MSNBC and similar media outlets is not necessarily political bias, but their tendency to prioritize their own financial interests. He points to the network’s silence on the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger as an example of how media outlets often ignore news that could negatively affect their financial stakes.
At the time, MSNBC's parent company, Comcast, was involved in the merger, creating a conflict of interest that led to a lack of coverage on the potential impact of the deal. This silence highlights how media outlets can sometimes downplay significant stories when they pose a threat to their own business interests.
On November 18, 2021, Kenosha County Judge Bruce Schroeder barred MSNBC and its affiliates from the courthouse for the remainder of Kyle Rittenhouse's trial. The decision followed an incident where Kenosha police observed a vehicle trailing the jury bus and stopped it after the driver ran a red light. Judge Schroeder identified the driver as James J. Morrison, who claimed to be an NBC News producer working for MSNBC. Morrison reportedly told police he had been instructed by Irene Byon, a producer based in New York, to follow the jury bus.
"This is a very serious matter and I don't know what the ultimate truth of it is," Schroeder said. "But absolutely it would go without much thinking that someone who is following the jury bus, that's an extremely serious matter and it will be referred to the proper authorities."
