Staffer Makes Shocking Allegations Against Joy Reid

A former MSNBC production assistant has come forward with explosive allegations against ex-host Joy Reid, accusing her of making antisemitic remarks about Orthodox Jews during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The claims add another layer of controversy to MSNBC’s recent wave of staff shakeups and firings.

According to the former staffer, Reid allegedly launched into an inflammatory tirade during a network conference call in mid-2020, blaming Orthodox Jewish communities for the spread of COVID-19 in New York City.

“They only care about themselves,” Reid reportedly said during the call, describing Orthodox Jews as “in their own bubble” and dismissing concerns about their treatment. The former staffer, who is Jewish and requested anonymity, said she was appalled by Reid’s rhetoric.

“She openly blamed Jews for the pandemic’s spread,” the ex-PA recalled. “She claimed they didn’t care about infecting others. It was shocking to hear something so blatantly antisemitic.”

The meeting, which included approximately 20 MSNBC production members, proceeded without pushback, according to the source.

The former staffer explained that she initially felt too intimidated to challenge Reid’s remarks in real time but later reported her concerns through internal channels. In Slack messages shared with The Post, the junior employee alerted then-senior producer Lorena Ruiz, describing Reid’s comments as “100 percent antisemitic.”

Ruiz’s response was tepid at best, acknowledging that “Joy can be very careless with her language” but reassuring the staffer that she was “better on air than on calls.” The lack of accountability left the young employee feeling isolated.

“I expected someone to push back or even say, ‘Hey, maybe we shouldn’t generalize an entire religious group,’” she said. “But nobody did. The silence was deafening.”

Reid’s departure from MSNBC, part of a broader restructuring at the network, has resurfaced past criticisms of her tenure. The former production assistant described a hypocritical work culture where Reid’s show, TheReidOut, was positioned as a champion of social justice while simultaneously ignoring discrimination against certain groups.

“It was a very selective brand of activism,” she said. “Joy was loud about racial injustices but had no problem targeting Jews. The contradiction was exhausting.”

Disillusioned, the staffer considered resigning immediately after the incident. “I even drafted a resignation message, but my family convinced me to stay,” she admitted.

Reid’s past is not without similar controversies. She previously faced scrutiny over resurfaced blog posts containing homophobic remarks, which she later claimed were the result of hacking—a claim widely dismissed.

Now, with MSNBC under new leadership, the ex-staffer has reached out directly to network president Rebecca Kutler to express her relief over Reid’s exit. “I finally feel like I can breathe,” she wrote in an email obtained by The Post.

“All these years, I kept quiet. I never spoke up beyond my closest friends and family. But this was always a weight on my chest.”

NBCUniversal has declined to comment on the allegations. Neither Reid, her agent, nor Ruiz responded to requests for statements.

With Reid’s departure, MSNBC faces renewed scrutiny over its internal culture, journalistic integrity, and the selective outrage of its on-air personalities.