MSNBC host Joy Reid apologized Friday after BuzzFeed News uncovered old posts on her now-defunct blog that promoted a 9/11 conspiracy video and featured an image of Sen. John McCain’s head photoshopped onto the body of the Virginia Tech shooter.
“There are things I deeply regret and am embarrassed by, things I would have said differently and issues where my position has changed,” Reid wrote in a statement to reporters.
She also apologized to McCain and his family for the old post. “I have the highest respect for Sen. McCain as a public servant and patriot,” she wrote.
The statement did not address a claim made by Reid in April that her decade-old site, Reidblog, had been hacked by someone who inserted anti-gay posts alongside other posts written by Reid.
Representatives for Reid and MSNBC have both pointed to an ongoing federal investigation into the alleged hacking. But media reports disputed evidence presented by Reid’s team. BuzzFeed News reported in May that Reid’s cybersecurity expert has previously given information to the FBI that led to an investigation that a source with close knowledge of FBI investigations called a waste of time.
In December, Reid admitted having written other anti-gay posts from the same time period and apologized. She apologized again on her show in April when more were uncovered.
After Reid's latest apology Friday, MSNBC followed shortly after, suggesting the company has accepted she was contrite.
“Some of the things written by Joy on her old blog are obviously hateful and hurtful,” the company said. “Joy has apologized publicly and privately and said she has grown and evolved in the many years since, and we know this to be true.”
An MSNBC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment as to whether Reid or the company would address the hacking claims or FBI investigation, or whether she would face disciplinary action.
Reid and MSNBC’s full statements are below:
From Reid:
While I published my blog, starting in 2005, I wrote thousands of posts in real time on the issues of the day. There are things I deeply regret and am embarrassed by, things I would have said differently and issues where my position has changed. Today I’m sincerely apologizing again.
I’m sorry for the collateral damage and pain this is causing individuals and communities caught in the crossfire.
To be clear, I have the highest respect for Sen. McCain as a public servant and patriot and wish him and his family the best. I have reached out to Meghan McCain and will continue to do so. She is a former on-air colleague and I feel deeply for her and her family.
I’ve also spoken openly about my evolution on many issues and know that I’m a better person today than I was over a decade ago. I am the daughter of immigrants and have worked to be a strong ally of these communities. There is no question in my mind that Al Qaeda perpetrated the 9/11 attacks or about Israel’s right to its sovereignty.
I believe the totality of my work attests to my ideals and I continue to grow every day.
From MSNBC:
Some of the things written by Joy on her old blog are obviously hateful and hurtful. They are not reflective of the colleague and friend we have known at MSNBC for the past seven years. Joy has apologized publicly and privately and said she has grown and evolved in the many years since, and we know this to be true.