Former MSNBC host Joy Reid spoke out against her former network's dramatic rebrand, accusing its executives of reshaping its identity to look similar to Newsmax — to help win favor with former President Donald Trump.
In a recent appearance on the "On with Kara Swisher" podcast, Reid criticized MSNBC's new name, My Source for News Opinion and the World (shortened to MS NOW), as well as its redesigned red, white, and blue logo.
"The logo — the red, white, and blue — is giving a little Newsmax," Reid said, referencing the conservative cable network.
"It's a little America, you know? I feel like they're like, 'Will Trump like this?'"
Her comments come as MSNBC prepares to undergo a corporate shakeup.
Parent company Comcast was spinning off its news and cable assets into a separate unit called Versant, led by longtime television executive Mark Lazarus. As part of the transition, MSNBC is dropping its iconic Peacock imagery, long tied to NBCUniversal.
"The peacock is synonymous with NBCUniversal, and it is a symbol they have decided to keep within the NBCU family," Lazarus explained earlier this month in a company-wide memo.
"This gives us the opportunity to chart our own path forward, create distinct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization following the spin."
For Reid, the overhaul is a misstep that risks alienating the network's loyal audience.
"The name has value to MSNBC fans," she said. "It's like 'The Muppet Show' to them. It's 'Sesame Street.' It is such a brand that is meaningful to people."
Reid was dismissed from MSNBC in February during a broader restructuring of the network's talent lineup.
Once the face of "The ReidOut," she was one of several hosts pushed out amid declining ratings and leadership changes at the network.
While Reid acknowledged the pressures facing executives, she argued that their efforts to modernize the brand might backfire.
"I kind of feel for the new corporate suits that are running that place," Reid admitted. "They're under a lot of pressure… Donald Trump is a vengeful, vicious, vindictive man."
Still, Reid offered her own suggestion for a rebrand if change was deemed unavoidable. "I guess if I had to pick something… I might have called it something like 'Blue News,'" she said. "Because people who watch MSNBC are on the blue side of the red-blue divide, so it would sort of fit with Bluesky."
Founded in 1996, MSNBC built its brand as a progressive counterweight to Fox News, while leaning into analysis and opinion programming. Its critics, however, have accused it of blurring the lines between news and commentary.
This article includes information from TV Insider.
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