Joy Reid replacing Melissa Harris-Perry in her old timeslot on MSNBC in a new 2-hour show on Saturdays and Sundays at 4pm, starting this Saturday.

Joy Reid is taking over the old timeslot of the fired Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC (StarSat 263) from this Saturday, according to MSNBC.

Melissa Harris-Perry was fired in February after 4 years after saying she's not MSNBC's "token little brown bobble head" after the incensed anchor lashed out over MSNBC for taking her show off the air for weeks for political coverage of the upcoming American elections.

Joy Reid, a national correspondent for MSNBC who joined the TV news channel in 2011, will now anchor a new 2-hour show on Saturdays and Sundays at 16:00 (South African time) in Melissa Harris-Perry's old timeslot.

Joy Reid's new show will start this Saturday, 7 May on MSNBC.

"Melissa did a show that was incredibly valuable," says Joy Reid in a statement.

"Instead of trying to replace it, we will fill the space with something new; something compelling, and something that adds to the conversation."

"MSNBC viewers crave not only the facts, but also in-depth discussion and analysis from a range of perspectives," said MSNBC president Phil Griffin.

"There is no one better equipped than Joy Reid to lead this new project, and create a place for the kind of unique discussion our audience has come to expect."

Melissa Harry-Perry slams MSNBC for its 'culture of fear'; refuses to sign non-disclosure agreement and says she won't be silenced.

Melissa Harry-Perry is slamming the American TV news channel MSNBC (StarSat 263) in a scathing rebuke after she refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement following her abrupt exit from MSNBC and cancellation of her show, saying there's a "culture of fear" at MSNBC.

Melissa Harris-Perry told CNNMoney that "They [MSNBC] wanted me not to speak about MSNBC. I said no".

Melissa Harris-Perry is out at MSNBC (StarSat 263) and her Melissa Harris-Perry weekend show cancelled at the American TV news channel after she wrote a scathing email saying MSNBC kept her off the air for weeks without any reason why and that she's not their "little brown bobble head".

After the email, MSNBC cancelled her show and Melissa Harris-Perry started negotiations on a pay-out since her contract with MSNBC only expires in October.

MSNBC wanted her to sign an agreement not to talk about MSNBC negatively - but she refused to be censored by MSNBC.

Melissa Harris-Perry said there's a "culture of fear at MSNBC".

She apologised to former MSNBC anchors like Martin Bashir, Toure and Karen Finney who were all cancelled at MSNBC saying "I am sorry for and ashamed of my earlier silence. I gave into to culture of fear at MSNBC."

Melissa Harris-Perry told The New York Times that MSNBC yanking her show and then cancelling it "was evil and it was cruel. And it had racial implications".

Melissa Harris-Perry's show at MSNBC cancelled after she lashes out at MSNBC: 'I am not a token little brown bobble head'.

Melissa Harris-Perry is out at MSNBC (StarSat 263) and her Melissa Harris-Perry weekend show cancelled at the American TV news channel after she wrote a scathing email saying she won't be doing her weekend show this past weekend and trashing MSNBC saying she's not their "little brown bobble head".

A furious Melissa Harris-Perry attacked MSNBC for taking her show off the air the past few weeks for political coverage of the upcoming American elections, and she walked off her show The New York Times reported.

In a scathing email, Melissa Harris-Perry, wrote to MSNBC co-workers, slamming MSNBC for making her feel "worthless" and having "utterly silenced her", saying that "our show was taken - without comment or discussion or notice - in the midst of an election season".

"After four years of building an audience, developing a brand and developing trust with our viewers, we were effectively silenced".

Melissa Harris-Perry vowed to not set foot inside MSNBC's studios this past Saturday and Sunday, saying in the email she's not owned by MSNBC and that "I will not be used as a tool for their purposes. I am not a token, mammy, or little brown bobble head".

"Undoubtedly television nurtures the egos of those of us who find ourselves in front of bright lights and big cameras. I am sure egois informing my own pain at the moment, but there is a level of professional decency, respect, and communication that has been denied this show for years".

"It is profoundly hurtful to realize that I work for people who find my considerable expertise and editorial judgment valueless to the coverage they are creating."

MSNBC called Melissa Harris-Perry's outburst "really surprising, confusing and disappointing".

Then The Washington Post reported that Melissa Harris-Perry's show will definitely be cancelled after her critical email.

Now Melissa Harris-Perry is in talks with MSNBC about severance pay, "not reconciliation" according to The New York Times. Her current contract with MSNBC only expires in October.

Programming note: MSNBC adding Melissa Harris-Perry with her own show to the Saturday and Sunday line-up from this weekend.

MSNBC (TopTV 410) will be adding a new show this coming Saturday and Sunday with Melissa Harris-Perry, simply entitled Melissa Harris-Perry, The New York Times reports.

Why it's significant is because Melissa Harris-Perry will be the only tenured professor in America who is a television presenter on a TV news channel. She will continue to hold her position as a professor at Tulane University.