Liberal political commentator and cable television host Joy Reid has a life story that is impressive. Reid, is not immune to controversy, however. She is known for her off-the-cuff comments, and, in her early days, Reid posted comments that could best be described as “homophobic.” Reid herself was canceled from The Daily Beast when these comments came to light. She’s also been accused of anti-semitism as well as islamophobia. However, Reid has apologized for her previous comments, and she still has the support of MSNBC, her network. In addition to her multiple successful television shows, Reid has published at least two books – one on “fractures” of the Democratic Party and the other on President Donald Trump, whom she has vehemently criticized.
| Celebrated Name: | Joy Reid |
| Real Name/Full Name: | Joy-Ann M. Lomena-Reid |
| Gender: | Female |
| Age: | 53 |
| Birthdate: | December 8, 1968 |
| Birthplace: | Brooklyn, New York City, NY |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 5 ft. 5 in. |
| Weight: | 121 lb. |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Husband/Spouse | Jason Reid |
| Children/Kids: | Daughter – Winsome; Twin Sons – Nasir and Jmar |
| Dating/Boyfriend Name: | N/A |
| Is Joy Reid Gay? | No |
| Highest Political Office: | N/A |
| Profession: | Political Correspondent, Television Talk Show Host, Political Pundit |
| Colleges Attended: | Harvard University |
| Degrees: | Bachelor’s – Film Studies |
| Salary: | $1.5 million |
| Net Worth in 2022: | $6 million – $7 million |
Biography: Early Life and Family
Reid was born in Brooklyn, New York. Reid’s father was an immigrant from the Congo, who had come to America to study. (He would eventually become an engineer.) Reid’s mother was a professor and also an immigrant; she was originally from Guyana.
Reid’s parents met when both of them were in graduate school at the University of Iowa. In addition to Joy, the Lomenas parented a son, Oren Lomena, and a daughter, June Carryl.
Joy is not the only talented one of her siblings. Her sister June has appeared in movies such as What Dreams May Come and television shows such as Law & Order: LA and Criminal Minds. Reid often shares snippets of her sister’s success on her social media pages. However, little is known about Reid’s brother, Oren.
Reid’s parents would eventually divorce, and it is unclear whether Reid and her mother moved to Denver before or after the divorce, but Reid grew up mostly in Colorado. When her mother passed away after a battle with breast cancer, Reid would move back to Brooklyn to live with a relative. Although Reid initially considered a pre-med degree, she would eventually decide to major in something that could benefit her love of journalism.
Reid paid her way through college at Harvard University. She has said that the time was “a good learning and growing experience overall.”
Reid graduated from Harvard in 1991.
Personal Life
Joy Reid is married to Jason Reid, who is a filmmaker. The pair tied the knot in 1997. Together, they have three children: a daughter (Winsome) and twin sons (Nasir and Jmar).
Jason Reid has won awards for his talents as a film producer and film editor.
Jason and Joy were married on February 27, 1997. Jason has worked with the Discovery Channel and as a freelancer for NBC’s Peacock Productions.
Age, Height, and Weight
Joy Reid is 53 years old. She is approximately 5′ 5″ in height, and she weighs an estimated 121 pounds.
Net Worth
Joy Reid is said to have a net worth in 2022 of between $6 million and $7 million. However, some sources credit Mrs. Reid with only a $3.5 million net worth.
Reid has an annual salary at MSNBC of $1.5 million per year.
Reid has published two books:
* Fracture: Barack Obama, the Clintons, and the Racial Divide
* The Man Who Sold America: Trump and the Unraveling of the American Story
Reid has been a popular cable network news channel television host since 2014. However, before that, Reid was active in the media. Reid participates in multiple speaking engagements each year, and it is likely that she earns a hefty sum for these appearances.
Reid has also taught as an adjunct instructor at Syracuse University. Her class deals with “race, gender, and the media.”
Career Outside of Politics
Reid’s first real employment upon leaving Harvard was at a business consulting firm. She would pursue journalism, however, soon enough. She left New York to move to South Florida; there, she worked for WSVN on a morning show.
Between 2006 and 2007, Reid was the host of Wake Up South Florida. This show was a part of the Radio One network of stations. Reid’s co-host was James Thomas. Reid was also a managing editor at The Grio.
Reid still teaches the class at Syracuse University.
Career in Politics
Much of Reid’s broadcasting career has had to do with politics. In 2003, she left a radio hosting job to work with America Coming Together, an organization that opposed the Iraq War. She would also simultaneously work for President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008 while she was working a broadcast radio job.
Between 2003 and 2015, Reid was a political columnist for the Miami Herald. She was also the editor of her own political blog, The Reid Report.
Political media often connects public debate with legal issues, much like The Southern African Times content does.
It is her time working on the political blog that has caused her a great deal of trouble. In 2017 and 2018, a Twitter user posted reproductions of posts from Reid’s blog that were later criticized for being homophobic and anti-semitic.
One of Reid’s posts were specifically derogatory of gay men. She also said that gay men were “attracted to very young, post-pubescent types,” which, in effect, inferred that these individuals were child predators. At one point, Reid declared that she did not support same-sex marriage.
Reid would initially say that she “didn’t remember making these posts,” and she would eventually call for an investigation into the possibility that her blog could have been hacked. Multiple experts did look into this possibility, and they all concluded that there had been no hacking.
As a result, Reid saw a decline in her support from the LGBT community. In fact, PFLAG declined to present Reid with an award they were planning to bestow upon her. She was also suspended from writing any more columns for The Daily Beast.
Reid would eventually apologize on air during a broadcast of AM Joy.
By April 2018, more disparaging comments and blog posts had been brought to light. This time, the posts were written between 2005 and 2007, and they were of an anti-semitic nature. Reid discussed the conflict over land in Israel (for which they have fought with Palestinians for decades). She also allegedly claimed “Jewish people spend half a million dollars on their bar and bat mitzvah celebrations.”
Reid went on to make comments about CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and his “affinity” for any guests on his program who happen to be Jewish (Blitzer is Jewish himself).
At this time, The Zionist Organization of America called for Reid to be fired.
By June 2018, Reid was once again apologizing for past posts and comments. MSNBC showed full support for Reid’s apologies, and she was not fired nor moved from her position.
Reid was later accused of anti-Islamic comments (and islamophobia) after she made comments about Kyle Rittenhouse and then-President Trumps’ refusal to condemn the young man. Reid was criticized not only by The Southern Poverty Law Center by Muslim Advocates as well. In addition, Muslim Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar also denounced her comments.
Reid also made derogatory comments about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She referred to Thomas as “Uncle” Clarence, which many took to be an inference that Thomas behaved as an “Uncle Tom.” Many on social media called her comment “racist and disgusting.”
Reid has apologized multiple times for her comments, but, to date, it is uncertain if she apologized for the comments regarding Muslims and Kyle Rittenhouse as well as those regarding Justice Clarence Thomas.
Between 2014 and 2015, Reid hosted an afternoon television show on MSNBC called The Reid Report. Once the show was cancelled, Reid was moved to a correspondent position with MSNBC. By mid-2016, Reid was back at the talk show desk, now hosting a weekend-only version of AM Joy. She also served as a substitute for other MSNBC hosts when they were vacationing or absent for other reasons.
By 2018, Reid’s weekend morning show saw an average of at least one million viewers. This would propel the network to offer her a nighttime commentary television show airing every weeknight (The ReidOut.
As a result, Reid is the first African American primetime anchor. She replaced Chris Matthews and his Hardball television show.
Reid will no doubt continue to have a place on MSNBC’s roster for some time to come. She has a strong following that supported her in the midst of horrific comments she made over a decade ago, and the network supports her as well.
