Former MSNBC host Joy Reid went “on a vile antisemitic rant,” in which she blamed Orthodox Jews for the spread of COVID-19 in New York City, a former production assistant at the network claims.
In the summer of 2020, the lefty former “TheReidOut” host allegedly ripped Orthodox Jews, saying they “only care about themselves” and are “in their own bubble,” and accused the group of reckless behavior during the opandemic, according to the PA.
The ex-PA, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she is speaking out now that Reid’s been axed because “people should know what her character is.”
“They’re the reason why COVID is spreading across New York,” the former staffer claimed Reid said unchallenged during a morning conference call. “They don’t care about COVID or spreading it to others.”
“I was shocked she called out a group and generalized them,” said the ex-PA, who is Jewish, who said it was even more shocking that the “other people on the call went along with it as if it’s a normal thing to say.”
About 20 people from the production team were on the call, she recalled.
“No one called her out [saying] ‘Maybe we shouldn’t generalize.’ Imagine if you said that about any other group of people – even if it were true – saying that any other group didn’t care about COVID?
“I remember feeling shocked – shocked by her ignorance and how antisemitic it sounded.”
The source, who felt too “intimidated” as a young staffer to speak out at the meeting, sent a Slack message later that day to her boss, then-senior producer Lorena Ruiz.
In the messages, shared this week with The Post, she expressed her deep concern over the “100 percent antisemitic” comments.
She asked her boss to consider “collective responsibility” since many Orthodox Jews were “part of the many doctors creating the COVID guidelines and restrictions, and risking their lives every day to treat COVID patients.”
Ruiz replied that the young staffer had a “good point.”
“Joy can be very careless with her language,” she wrote, adding, “Luckily, she is generally better on air than on the calls” before she thanked the junior staffer for “bringing it up,” according to a copy of the messages seen by The Post.
At the time of its debut in July 2020, the much-hyped 7 p.m. show, “TheReidOut,” was hailed by the left as a fresh voice, covering “the intersection of race, justice and culture.” From 2016 to 2020, Reid also hosted the weekend political show “AM Joy.”
“It was a very hypocritical atmosphere. It was completely contradictory,” said the source, noting that Reid’s shtick was speaking up for so-called marginalized groups but had no problem blaming Jews for spreading the virus.
“It was very targeted racial issues [on the show] but other discrimination went ignored,” said the former staffer.
She was so “turned off” and stung, she wanted to quit, even going so far as to compose a note of resignation over the inflammatory incident. “I was writing out a text like I don’t feel comfortable continuing on the show,” she said, adding that her family “talked me out of it.”
The staffer — who worked on Chris Matthews’ “Hardball” show until it was cancelled early in 2020 — is now 28 and still works in media. She admitted she felt “very alone and like I was working with people who don’t understand.”
After Reid was canned recently, the former staffer emailed MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler, expressing her “sense of relief” after witnessing first hand Reid’s “deeply troubling behavior, particularly her vile antisemitism.”
“All these years, I never spoke up about it, except to my closest friends and family,” she said with regret. “I always felt like it was something heavy on my chest.
“I think maybe I should have spoken out to someone higher up or even to her [Reid] herself, that I should have spoken up more.”
NBCUniversal declined to comment. Neither Reid, her agent nor Ruiz returned messages.
