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MSNBC has cut ties with controversial news show host Tiffany Cross, who has repeatedly spewed anti-conservative rhetoric, such as declaring that the nation was in a “civil war.”
Cross, 43, was just one of the big names fired from the network this week, as LGBTQ anchor Shepard Smith saw his show The News with Shepard Smith canceled this week.
On Thursday, Cross called Florida “the d**k of the country” in an interview with Charlamagne tha God.
A source at the network shared their dismay at the resignation, which came after she made the comment about Florida on Comedy Central’s Hell of a Week.
Tiffany Cross was fired for saying something risqué on another show? Were there any NBC News executives who ever watched or bothered to pay attention to what was broadcast on MSNBC every Saturday?!’ said the source.
Tiffany Cross, who presented Cross Connection on Saturday, was fired this week after he repeatedly sparked controversy, including declaring the country in a “civil war.”
Shepard Smith, who hosted The News with Shepard Smith, saw his show canceled this week as new CNBC boss KC Sullivan took the network to more business news.
Cross previously made the comments declaring ‘civil war’ when she filled in for Joy-Ann Reid, pictured, on Reid’s show The Reidout
While Smith’s departure is a reflection of CNBC’s efforts to increase business news on the network, Cross’s termination comes after she was repeatedly told to tone down her rhetoric.
Cross once reprimanded Meghan McCain for her comments about identity politics and said The View host should be fired because her only talent is “taking advantage of favoritism and black hairstylists.”
Last year she revealed that her brother is a truck driver, and when he takes to the road, she worries for his safety because it “feels like a dangerous industry.”
“This is an industry populated by a lot of white men over the age of 55,” Cross said. “This group of people voted overwhelmingly for Trump.”
The source also criticized MSNBC presenter Joy-Ann Reid, claiming she is “as divisive” as Cross.
Cross previously made the comments declaring “civil war” when filling in for Reid on Reid’s show The Reidout.
Reid himself has made controversial remarks on the air, including blaming Vice President Kamala Harris’ poor race approval rate.
Reid blamed a white, male media class for forging a story about Harris that was difficult for the vice president to overcome: “Most media is still white and male. And their take on Kamala Harris becomes the take. It becomes conventional wisdom.’
The network source says much of the blame can be put on MSNBC president Rashida Jones, who gives the green light to much of the content shown on the platform.
“Obviously Rashida Jones has no control over talent as Cesar Conde has to come clean all the time. She seemed totally fine with all the downright silly and incendiary things Tiffany Cross said on the air, including referring to Clarence Thomas as the judge “pubic hair on my Coke can,” they said.
“On this day in 1991, ‘Justice Pubic Hair on my Coke can’ was upheld by the Supreme Court, and while we collectively knew how bad it was then, we didn’t know until now how problematic Tom would be,” Cross said in October.
Meanwhile, the layoffs also contradict previous commitments by NBCUniversal chairman Cesar Conde about diversifying the anchors shown on the network.
NBCUniversal started the NBCU Academy, a journalism education and development program for four-year college and community college students that gives them valuable insights through hands-on experience with the network’s journalists.
The Academy partners with 17 different academic institutions serving primarily minority communities.
“We started the NBCU Academy to bring more people into the industry from communities that may have been overlooked in the past,” Conde said in 2021.
“Cesar Conde promised 50% diversity – very hypocritical to expel prominent gay and black anchors within 24 hours of each other,” the network source said.
NBCUniversal chairman Cesar Conde previously announced the company would diversify its line of news anchors, but the recent layoffs contradict that sentiment.
New CNBC president KC Sullivan released a statement after canceling Smith’s show, saying the network “needs to continue investing in business news content”
Smith’s next moves are uncertain, especially after he left Fox News in October 2019. Pictured: Smith in Time Square in 2020 after getting his job at CNBC
But new CNBC president KC Sullivan seems to have other plans, as he quickly fired one of the most prominent LGBTQ news anchors in the country in Smith.
Smith left Fox News in 2019 after a feud with one of the network’s premiere anchors, Tucker Carlson.
Carlson had brought in a guest on his show who said Fox’s Andrew Napolitano was a “fool” for analysis offered on Smith’s show. Smith said on air that Carlson’s attack was repulsive and Carlson later mocked him for it.
During his time there, he also faced repeated taunts from Donald Trump, as he was one of the few critics of the network from the president.
Sullivan sent a memo to network executives on Thursday, saying that programming would shift to business and financial news.
Sullivan previously served as president and general manager of NBCUniversal’s global advertising and partnerships for nearly two years, according to CNBC.
“We must continue to invest in business news that gives our audiences a practical understanding of the complex developments in global markets and the implications for institutions, investors and individuals,” said Sullivan.
CNBC assured that the shifts, including the decision to replace Smith’s show, are not due to budget cuts, but rather are “strategic in nature.” newsgroup said.
“In times of change and uncertainty, our place in the lives of those we touch on-air, online and in person becomes even more evident and essential,” Sullivan added.
Sullivan apparently thought Smith’s general news show wasn’t doing enough for the network, despite admitting that the show “raised CNBC’s average viewership at 7 p.m. and drew the most affluent audience of all prime-time cable news programs.”
“Decisions like this are not made hastily or lightly. I believe this decision will ultimately help strengthen our brand and the value we provide to our audience,” Sullivan added.
Smith’s final show will air in November, and the network is working on a business news show that will air in the evening starting 2023.