It should come as no surprise that Trump’s second stab at the presidency has left us all very, very bloody. Not even a full year into this administration have we seen job growth cut in half, families being torn apart by secret police, and Instagram story posts discussing political violence while forgetting that we live in a country founded on political violence.
As a Black woman in America, I’ve always known that America is not a fair country.. I’ve always felt that. But to see the inequalities, racism and misogyny play out when it comes to Joy Reid and Jimmy Kimmel is more than disheartening; it’s gut-wrenching.
NAACP Image Award and Emmy-nominated political commentator Joy Reid made her exit from MSNBC this year in late February. The sudden cancellation of her show The ReidOut was unexpected, one of the first occurrences of “sudden” cancellations for television personalities and political commentators who are avid Trump dissenters. Almost 6 months later, Jimmy Kimmel faced the same fate as he was pulled “preemptive immediately” after jabs at the current president.
“The general public had sympathy for Charlie Kirk,” said current USC student Terrin Jackson, “and because [what Kimmel said] didn’t align with the public’s [concern for his family], it automatically became a ‘wrong view.’”
Following Joy Reid’s show being cancelled and her exit from MSNBC, Trump took to Truth Social to berate Reid, calling her “untalented,” and a “mentally obnoxious racist.” What this means is unclear as Reid has proven that her politics is deeply rooted in the same diversity, equity and inclusion that Trump hates so much.
But now that Kimmel is back on air giving teary-eyed apologies, I can’t help but to feel for Joy Reid and other Black women fired from their media jobs–notably, Washington Post editor Karen Attiah. Attiah was fired for “gross misconduct” on her social media account, where she expressed her opinions on Republican influencer Charlie Kirk being murdered.
The conversation of free speech being threatened shouldn’t have started with Kimmel; it should have begun with Reid and Attiah. Those women were let go from their positions because they are vehemently against the racist and unconstitutional policies of the Trump administration.
As I witness America going backwards in its policies and social values, I know that in my heart of hearts, the best thing to do is not to succumb to the silencing power of the masses. As Black women, we are expected to be warriors in the face of adversity but meek in the face of authoritarianism. It’s not a ridiculous thing to say that the media has begun to laud Reid as an “Angry Black Woman,” painting what she says in response to political officials as unprofessional.
Frankly, I don’t think we are all angry enough. Our country is being run by people who favor optics over performance, agendas over people, and lining their own pockets to the extreme detriment of their constituents. While someone could argue that Kimmel was more rallied behind because he is a part of the entertainment industry, I think that is also a part of the problem. Why does it take someone being a part of a specific industry for us to realize that the tenet of free speech has decreased in its value significantly?
Black women who see the lack of allyship with Joy Reid and Karen Attiah in our current media market may feel as if there’s no use in speaking out if we’re just going to lose our jobs. They may feel as though there is no use in speaking out in journalism or in their day-to-day life, but I strongly reject that idea.
When talking with USC’s very own media scholar, Dr. Lindsay Young, I expressed my fear that we are in a “Freedom for me, none for thee” moment. This new wave of Trumpist cancel culture, where the consequences reverberate way past lackluster online engagement and performing to empty theatres, is an example of that.
“My concern is that [this will] become an opportunity to…perpetuate self-censorship. But if I had to give young people advice on how to survive this moment, I would say engage, diversify your media, and find community.”
We need each other more than anything right now.
Opinions are those of the author’s alone and do not reflect the views of the Annenberg Media newsroom or its leadership.