Hayes addressed the firing of Joy Reid on Tuesday, the day after the Reidout host aired the final episode of her show. Other MSNBC hosts whose shows were axed by the network include Ayman Mohyeldin, Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart, Alex Wagner, and Jose Diaz-Balart.

“It was a really devastating blow that Joy Reid’s show ended last night and that she’s leaving MSNBC altogether,” Hayes stated on his MSNBC show. “I really am going to miss her enormously. I’m also completely, absolutely confident she’s going to continue to be a central voice in American politics at this critical time, particularly at a time when media is expanding in all sorts of amazing ways and people are doing all kinds of new things.”

Hayes’s comment on Reid finding her footing as the media evolve comes as alternative media, such as podcasts and online shows, have drastically increased in popularity. Tucker Carlson, for instance, created a very popular show on X after he was fired from Fox News in 2023.

While Wagner was among the MSNBC hosts whose shows were canceled, Hayes clarified that she would remain with the network and be “constantly” featured on his show. Amid the major shake-ups happening at the network, Hayes acknowledged that many crew members at MSNBC are “freaked out” over what the future holds for them.

Fellow MSNBC host Rachel Maddow was critical of the network’s decision to fire Reid, stating it was “a bad mistake to let her walk out the door.” 

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President Donald Trump took a victory lap over MSNBC’s decision to fire Reid, calling her “one of the least talented people” on television. He also knocked the host’s “virtually nonexistent” show ratings and said her firing should have been announced long ago. 

MSNBC’s shake-up comes a few months after its parent company, Comcast, announced that the network and other NBCUniversal cable channels would be spun off to other ownership.