Joy-Ann M. Lomena-Reid, professionally known as Joy Reid, is a prominent American television host, MSNBC national correspondent, political commentator, and author, born on December 8, 1968, in Brooklyn, New York. Her father hailed from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and her mother, a college professor and nutritionist, was from Guyana. Reid’s educational journey led her to Harvard University, where she majored in film studies, graduating in 1991.
Reid commenced her journalism career in 1997 in South Florida, initially working for WSVN Channel 7’s morning show. She took a brief hiatus from journalism in 2003 to engage with the group ‘America Coming Together’ in opposition to the Iraq War and President George W. Bush’s administration. She returned to the media as a talk radio host and also contributed to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Between 2006 and 2007, Reid co-hosted the morning radio talk show ‘Wake Up South Florida.’ She has held various roles, including managing editor of The Grio (2011–2014), political columnist for the Miami Herald (2003–2015), and editor of The Reid Report blog (2000–2014). From 2014 to 2015, she hosted the MSNBC afternoon cable news show, ‘The Reid Report.’ Following its cancellation, Reid transitioned to an MSNBC national correspondent role. In May 2016, she began hosting ‘AM Joy,’ a political weekend morning talk show on MSNBC, which gained significant viewership.
Reid is also an accomplished author, having published ‘Fracture: Barack Obama, the Clintons, and the Racial Divide’ in 2015. In a landmark achievement, she became the first Black female primetime anchor on cable television when she started hosting ‘The ReidOut,’ a weeknight commentary show on MSNBC, in July 2020​​​​​​.
