*When it comes to Tiffany Cross and her firing as a weekend anchor for MSNBC, Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah says racism is to blame.
In a column published Dec. 2, Attiah notes that the canning of Cross came at a time when “attacks against Black educators, authors and journalists are increasing across the country.”
Attiah writes, “It’s all a bad look, sending the message that we can be abruptly de-platformed for stirring up the right-wing media pot. Two years after the supposed “global reckoning” on race, we are still disposable.”
Attiah also notes that “NBC has lost a number of prominent Black voices over the years, especially Black women. Melissa Harris-Perry’s popular MSNBC weekend show was canceled in 2016. In 2017, Tamron Hall was pushed out. MSNBC’s Peacock hub canceled Zerlina Maxwell’s and Joshua Johnson’s shows, and both left the network.”
READ MORE: Tiffany Cross Hires Powerhouse Attorney to Take On MSNBC After Firing
Cross is reportedly gearing up for a legal battle against the network and she has reportedly hired powerhouse attorney Bryan Freedman to represent her in the fight.
Freedman previously helped Gabrielle Union in her discrimination case against NBC when she served as a judge on “America’s Got Talent.” According to Page Six, Cross hired Freedman to take on MSNBC after she allegedly vowed to “take down” the network and its boss, Rashia Jones, following her firing.
“She made calls saying, ‘I’m going out in a blaze and I’m taking down the network and going after Rashida,’” a source told NY Post about Cross.
We reported previously via Variety, citing MSNBC sources, that Cross’ relationship with the network had “becoming frayed” as executives grew “concerned about the anchor’s willingness to address statements made by cable-news hosts on other networks and indulging in commentary executives felt did not meet the standards of MSNBC or NBC News,” reports Forbes.
Cross’ show, “The Cross Connection,” was canceled by MSNBC in November, and her contract with the network wasn’t renewed. Cross previously served as a fill-in host for Joy Reid’s weekend show “AM Joy” before she landed her own Saturday program in 2020. In it, she ranted about “White replacement” on the show and labeled Republican members of Congress as “White supremacists.” Cross also referred to Justice Thomas as a sellout Uncle Tom.
The final straw was when Cross’ appearance on an episode of Comedy Central’s “Hell of a Week with Charlamagne and she condemned Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and referred to the state of Florida as “the d—k of the country”
“So let’s get rid of Florida,’ ‘Let’s castrate Florida,” she said.
“To be a Black public figure who chooses to be honest about white supremacy in this country is dangerous business. And there is no starker example of that than Tiffany Cross,” writes Attiah.
In her column, Attiah says the network sent “a reminder that the rug could be pulled out from under [Black journalists] at any time.”
The columnist also argues that Cross was fired for her “unapologetic” views on “white supremacy” and that Cross “did not hold back on matters of race.”
“This, of course, drew the ire of the right-wing chattering class, who increasingly singled her out,”Attiah writes.
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