UPDATE: Tiffany Cross released a statement Friday night stating that she was “disheartened”To learn about the cancellations of The Cross Connection “at such a crucial time — four days before the midterm elections.”
“From the beginning, we were intentional about centering communities of colors, elevating issues and voices often ignored by the mainstream media, and disrupting the echo chambers,”She wrote. “As a result, viewers consistently made The Cross Connection MSNBC’s highest rated weekend show.”
She continued, “Fresh off the heels of a ‘racial reckoning,’ as so many have called it, we see that with progress there is always backlash. Now is not the time to retreat to politics or journalism as unusual. It is my hope that the last two years at MSNBC have been disruptive and transformative, changing how politics are discussed and making policy more digestible. It was the opportunity of a lifetime to create a show the culture would be proud to keep trending every weekend.”
She also addressed the reports that MSNBC was unhappy with her responses to cable hosts. She explained that although her show is a success, she was still proud of it. “ended abruptly, surprising many of us, my work is not done. Political violence is increasing and it’s becoming inherently more dangerous to speak the truth. But, after more than 20 years in journalism, I will not stop. The attacks on me from other outlets and former hosts will never control my narrative.”
PREVIOUSLY: MSNBC has dropped Tiffany Cross’s weekend show after a nearly two-year run.
According to a source familiar to the plans, the network will replace her time slot with a number of rotating hosts to fill in her place. Variety first reported on the network’s decision.
Cross’ Cross Connection launched in 2020, as part of a series of changes to MSNBC’s weekend lineup that also included a new show featuring Jonathan Capehart.
Cross’s staff was informed of the decision on Friday morning, the source said, but will remain in place.
Cross did not respond immediately to a request for comments. Her previous title was D.C. Bureau Head for BET Networks.
A source confirmed that there were concerns at the network that Cross’s commentary, on the show and elsewhere, did not meet the network’s editorial standards. In an appearance on Charlamagne Tha God’s Comedy Central show on Thursday, Cross said Florida “literally looks like the dick of the country.”
Cross provided sharp commentary on her show, sometimes pointing out other media hosts. Megyn Kelly had attacked Cross earlier in the month and called her the worst. “racist person on television,”Cross called Kelly “the blackface expert.”Kelly had moved from NBC News to Fox News with a reported $69 million longterm contract. But her daytime show didn’t do well in ratings. Kelly also faced controversy for making comments about wearing blackface for Halloween. She later made an apology.
Cross was also the subject of a Tucker Carlson commentary on Fox News. However, he also targeted Joy Reid and other MSNBC hosts.