No place shows Black women love like ESSENCE. And at the 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, the sisterhood was on full display as media powerhouse Joy Reid received an outpouring of support following MSNBC’s cancellation of her show, The ReidOut on Sunday.
Reid, who has long used her platform to uplift and inform, walked the red carpet radiating grace and gratitude. When asked how it felt to receive such an outpouring of love and appreciation from so many in such a moment, she didn’t hesitate.
“I have to say that I have never felt more enveloped and wrapped in the love of my people,” Reid shared. “It makes me feel so full. My heart is full. I just love, love, love my people. And so I just want to thank everyone. I want to thank Win With Black Women, who held a 25,000-person Zoom call last Sunday, and just everyone who has shown me so much support.”
Although, The ReidOut may have ended, the veteran journalist made it clear—this is not a loss. “It just feels so good because it feels like it was not a loss, it’s just a transition,” she told ESSENCE. “And so that cushion that is under me is Black women and Black men in this country, and I love it.”
A Joyous Opening at ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood
During the opening the ceremony, the decorated journalist took the stage and, with her signature wit, acknowledged the elephant in the room.“Now, I think you might have heard that I’ve recently been through a breakup—but not with my husband!” she joked. “Not with my husband, because today actually is our anniversary.”Beyond the humor, Reid used the moment to deliver a powerful message about the times Black women are navigating.
“We as Black women are living at a time of theft,” she declared. “A time when our history is at risk of being stolen away and hidden. And a time when our political power, come on 92 percent is bein threatened. And, when our opportunity to participate in this democracy is being threatened,” said Reid.
With each word, the crowd’s energy swelled, cheering as she continued.“We are losing the service, potentially, of federal workers who are disproportionately us in the service that we disproportionately give.Those of us who are in the United States military are being told that our history cannot be taught in military academies, that our photos cannot be shown on their websites, because that is DEI—as if diversity, equity and inclusion is not a great thing.”
“Inclusion Is Just Reality”
Reid, always one to connect the dots, made it clear: America is changing, and those fighting diversity are fighting a losing battle. “This country is becoming more diverse, whether people like it or not,” she said, earning another round of applause. “So if you want to sell dollies, you’re going to need a Black mermaid, because all the little Black and brown girls want to see themselves in those characters.”
She continued: “Equity is important because we come in knowing we have to be better, more educated, stronger, more prepared than anyone else when we walk into a room. And so we are. And so, in each of the spaces that we exist, we tend to be the best. And that equity is not just equity for us—it’s equity for these companies and organizations that we serve. It makes their organizations better. And inclusion is just reality. There’s nothing you can do to reverse the tide that is making this a more diverse country.”
Reid didn’t hold back, addressing the forces working to suppress democracy itself. “The only way to prevent the diversification of America is to try and alter democracy,” she said. “And Black Americans have been at the heart of resistance movements to prevent those threats. African Americans, who have struggled through loss and lack and enslavement and Jim Crow…we believe more than anyone in this country in the rights, the freedoms and the Constitution that did not include us.”
A Night to Honor Excellence
The 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards was a night to remember, celebrating the brilliance and resilience of Black women in entertainment. Honorees included the incomparable Cynthia Erivo, multi-hyphenate talent Teyana Taylor, trailblazing screenwriter Raamla Mohamed and the legendary Marla Gibbs.Held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, the event was more than just a ceremony—it was a reminder that Black women are the foundation of culture, power and progress.
And as Joy Reid proved, even in transition, Black women don’t fall. We rise.