Keith Olbermann, who held a prominent role at MSNBC as the host of “Countdown” from 2003 to 2011, expressed strong criticism of the network after it severed ties with several prominent hosts, including Joy Reid, Alex Wagner, Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart, and Ayman Mohyeldin. In response to the network’s decisions, he stated (via The Daily Beast): “An MSNBC purge so brutally racist it makes you think it was done by Musk.”
He further criticized MSNBC by noting, “They didn’t even try to hide the racism by firing an unnecessary white anchor like [Katy] Tur or [Stephanie] Ruhle to provide a cover.”
On his “Countdown” podcast, Olbermann elaborated on the situation, asserting that during tough times for the network, viewers would not hear a peep from hosts such as Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, Chris Hayes, and others. He expressed regret to anyone from MSNBC who defended Joy Reid, emphasizing the significant implications of this decision, which he felt contributed to the ongoing narrative of racism under Trump’s influence on the country.
Olbermann’s remarks preceded Rachel Maddow’s show on February 24, where she directly criticized MSNBC’s decision to part ways with Reid. Maddow stated on air that she did not want Reid to leave the network and believed it was a poor decision to let her go, calling it “indefensible” that MSNBC was losing its two non-white primetime hosts.
Olbermann reiterated in another post on X, “Of course MSNBC’s firing of Joy Reid was racist. They’ve now fired all four women of color who have hosted their own shows.”
In a subsequent post, Olbermann supported Don Lemon’s comment directed at Megyn Kelly, telling her to “go f*** yourself” regarding Kelly’s negative remarks about Reid after her departure from MSNBC, which she described as “the absolute worst person on television.”
You can listen to Olbermann’s full “Countdown” podcast addressing the MSNBC exits here.