Joy Reid (1968-)

Joy Reid, a prominent national correspondent, political analyst, commentator, and television host, has made a significant impact on the media landscape. Born Joy-Ann M. Lomena Reid on December 8, 1968, in Brooklyn, New York, she grew up in a family of professionals. While the names of her parents are not available during this investigation, her father was an engineer from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and her mother a university professor and nutritionist from Guyana. Although she was born in New York City, Reid spent her formative years in Denver, Colorado, alongside her siblings, June Carryl and Oren Lomena. After the passing of her mother in 1985, Joy returned to Brooklyn at age 17.

Reid’s academic journey took her to Harvard College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film Studies in 1991. In February 1997, she married Jason Reid, co-founder of ImageLab Media Group, and together they raised three children: Winsome, Jmar, and Miles.

Reid’s journalism career began in 1997 when she was 29. She worked as an anchor at WSVN, Channel 7, the CBS Morning Show, in Miami, Florida. From 2014 to 2015, she served as a commentator on The Reid Report, a political blog.During this time, she presented the 2015 Ida B. Wells lecture titled “The Myth of Objectivity: How the Media’s Quest for ‘Fairness’ and ‘Balance’ Biases Coverage Against Out-Groups,” hosted by the Anna Julia Cooper Center at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Following this, she launched her successful morning show, AM Joy, which aired from 2016 to 2020.

In 2020, Reid transitioned to a prime-time role as the host of The ReidOut on MSNBC, becoming the network’s first Black woman prime-time anchor. This show focused on important political issues and progressive perspectives. Her powerful sign-off on February 24, 2025 before the show’s cancellation raised poignant question about resisting threats to democracy.  That sign-off reflected her unwavering commitment to democratic values and reassured the audience of her steadfast principles including truth and her fearless approach to journalism, at a time when these concepts seemed under attack.

An accomplished author, Reid has penned several influential books, including Fracture: Barack Obama, the Clintons, and the Racial Divide (2016), The Man Who Sold America: Trump and the Unraveling of the American Story (2019), and Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America (2024).

Recognized for her contributions to journalism and political discourse, Reid has garnered numerous honors, including honorary doctorates from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2019, and Wilberforce University in Ohio in 2020. In 2024, she was nominated for “Outstanding Breaking News Coverage” at the prestigious 45th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards, solidifying her reputation as a leading voice in contemporary media.