MSNBC host Joy Reid opened her show Saturday with an apology, explaining that even though she truly doesn’t believe she authored a series of homophobic blog posts, she has no proof the site was hacked.
MSNBC host Joy Reid opened her show Saturday with an apology, explaining that even though she truly doesn’t believe she authored a series of homophobic blog posts, she has no proof the site was hacked or altered.
Reid has been wrapped up in controversy after a Twitter user published screenshots from the blog, which had been taken down but was still archived on the Web. The posts mentioned opposition to gay marriage and cringing „at the sight of two men kissing.“
Reid claimed the posts on her old blog, which she wrote in the mid-2000s during her time as a Florida talk show host, were the result of someone hacking her account. Her attorney John Reichman, in a statement, told reporters the FBI had opened an investigation examining any „potential criminal activities surrounding several online accounts, including personal email and blog accounts, belonging to Joy-Ann Reid.“
Her team also hired cyber-security experts to trace any potential hacking.
But on Saturday, Reid told her viewers that so far there’s no proof of any online infiltration and used the first few minutes of her show to apologize and talk about the controversy.
„I’ve spent a lot of time trying to make sense of these posts,“ she said. „I hired cybersecurity experts to see if someone had manipulated my words or my former blog and the reality is they have not been able to prove it.“
. @MSNBC ’s Joy Reid addresses homophobic blog posts: „I genuinely do not believe I wrote those hateful things… But I can definitely understand, based on things I have tweeted and have written in the past, why some people don’t believe me.“ pic.twitter.com/PWjdPfs5KB
She continued, „I genuinely do not believe I wrote those hateful things because they are completely alien to me.“
Reid has been in hot water for months after old posts resurfaced in December that said then-Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was gay and was using his marriage to a woman as cover for political purposes. Reid apologized for the posts and accepted responsibility, calling the comments „insensitive, tone-deaf and dumb.“
A new batch, which mocked members of the LGBT community and attempted to out straight politicians as gay, was found this week but instead of apologizing, Reid said the posts were not made by her.
The posts called same-sex marriage a „stupid issue“ and one suggested that older gay men prey on younger men and bring them „into the lifestyle.“
More: Joy Reid’s lawyer says FBI has opened investigation amid homophobic posts controversy
More: LGBT group rescinds Joy-Ann Reid’s award
On her show Saturday, Reid said she gets why people might not believe she did not author the posts due to her other blog posts and comments.
„I can definitely understand, based on things I have tweeted and have written in the past, why some people don’t believe me,“ she said. „I’ve not been exempt from being dumb or cruel or hurtful to the very people I want to advocate for. I own that. I get it. And for that, I am truly, truly sorry.”
Follow Christal Hayes on Twitter: Journo_Christal
