Joy Reid Was Tone-Deaf, But She's No Homophobe

Calling Florida's then-governor, Charlie Crist, "Miss Charlie" in 2007 was insensitive, but the journalist has long been one to chafe at hypocrisy.

By Neal Broverman

December 04 2017 3:42 PM EST

MSNBC host and Twitter firebrand Joy Reid found herself on the other side of the news this weekend, when a Twitter user uncovered decade-old posts where she accused a politician of being gay and mocked him with an effeminate nickname.

Responding to long-simmering rumors that Charlie Crist — then the antigay Republican governor of Florida, and now a pro-gay Democratic congressman — was gay, Reid called Crist "Miss Charlie." She mocked his marriage to a woman and wrote "Stop pretending, brother. It's okay that you don't go for the ladies." Reid posited that the marriage was a "fraud" to make him palatable as a potential running mate for John McCain. The posts appeared between 2007 and 2009 on The Reid Report, which covered Florida politics.

Reid, one of media's most outspoken critics of the Trump administration, apologized on Facebook after the posts came to light, calling them "insensitive, tone deaf and dumb."

"Among the frequent subjects of my posts was then-governor Charlie Crist, at the time a conservative Republican, whose positions on issues like gay marriage and adoption by same-sex couples in Florida shared headlines with widely rumored reports that he was hiding his sexual orientation," Reid wrote in her apology," Reid wrote.

"At no time have I intentionally sought to demean or harm the LGBT community, which includes people whom I deeply love. My goal, in my ham-handed way, was to call out potential hypocrisy. In addition to friends and coworkers and viewers, I deeply apologize to Congressman Crist, who was the target of my thoughtlessness. My critique of anti-LGBT positions he once held but has since abandoned was legitimate in my view. My means of critiquing were not.

"Re-reading those old blog posts, I am disappointed in myself. I apologize to those who also are disappointed in me. Life can be humbling. It often is. But I hope that you know where my heart is, and that I will always strive to use my words for good. I know better and I will do better."

Crist accepted her apology.

Thank you congressman. Truly. And here’s wishing you a wonderful holiday season. https://t.co/QmCIVrB5Bm

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) December 4, 2017

It's not hard to believe that Reid was perturbed by what she saw, whether correct or not — a gay man pushing for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Reid takes much umbrage with the lies and hypocrisy of politicians:

Trump announcing the gutting of national monuments and treasured American lands by slashing away at the Antiquities Act today. MAGA proceeding apace.

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) December 4, 2017