![]() The insiders noted that Jones made a January visit to CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” alongside Joy Reid. Other sources disputed that Jones and Hostin’s conversation was about Cross, and said she was acting in a supportive capacity to Wallace as she retuned to her former workplace. The source added it had nothing to do with Jones’ presence.Ī spokesperson for “The View” declined to comment on the matter. A well-placed insider at “The View” said the Cross story was in the mix to appear in that day’s Hot Topics segment, but did not make it to air in favor of other stories. Other insiders familiar with with the taping denied this was Jones’ motive. Jones was overheard explaining to Hostin that she had issues with Cross’ on-air “tone” for close to a year before her termination, three insiders familiar with the exchange said.Īfter assessing Jones’ unexpected appearance on their set, some higher ups at “The View” speculated that she had come that day with one goal: to avoid getting mentioned in the popular “View” segment Hot Topics, during which the panelists engage in oft-heated debate and throw down strong opinions. Unfazed, Jones moved on and waited out most of the taping before requesting to speak with “View” co-host Sunny Hostin. Roughly 10 staffers witnessed Hostin, an attorney and former legal analyst for ABC News, step off stage and speak with Jones in a hallway before the conclusion of the broadcast, sources said. ![]() Another “View” insider present categorized the meeting as a “quick hello.” Jones requested Goldberg’s staff leave the room so they could have a private conversation, which Goldberg declined, sources said. Appearing at the door of her dressing room door, Jones encountered Goldberg in final touches of hair and makeup while reviewing her notes for the day’s show, said the sources. With no shortage of damage to control, Jones walked the halls of “The View” in pursuit of Goldberg first, sources said. More than 40 prominent Black figures demanded a personal meeting with Jones to explain Cross’ firing on the eve “a critical midterm election,” and to discuss “a path forward that is restorative to the reputation and dignity of Ms. Cross trended on Twitter for days following her firing. Yet the response to Cross’ firing from viewers, social media users and the activist community was intense. Other insiders familiar with Cross said only one such directive was ever given, two weeks before she was fired. In the end, Jones felt that as a leader she had to address insubordination. Sources close to the situation say Jones was concerned that Cross ignored her directives to stop taking on rival cable and radio personalities during her show. ![]() “The news group makes these business decisions all the time.” “MSNBC made a programming decision to cancel the show,” a spokesperson for the network told Variety. But, at Rashida’s level, in doing so, what she’s actually doing is defaming Tiffany in the process,” Freedman said. “There’s one kind of wrong in going around trying to justify one’s unjustifiable behavior. ![]() Some are concerned that Cross was unfairly penalized for being an outspoken Black journalist.īryan Freedman, the high-powered attorney Cross retained after her ouster from MSNBC, told Variety that Jones’ behavior was harmful to his client. Many of the sources who spoke to Jones, a rare Black female leader in the sector, felt her efforts to present her case to industry insiders underlined how controversial the decision was to fire Cross in the first place. Cross’ firing has been the subject of numerous conversations initiated by Jones with elite media figures in recent weeks, nearly a dozen individuals interviewed by Variety said. While Wallace was on hand to discuss her series, Jones had a different hot topic in mind, four sources aware of her dealings that day said - it was Tiffany Cross, the outspoken MSNBC anchor who Jones had abruptly fired three days earlier.Ĭross was the firebrand weekend host of “The Cross Connection,” a host who’d drawn the ire of rightwing pundits such as Tucker Carlson, and had also raised eyebrows - both internally, and among some viewers - with her blunt on-air comments about political figures like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Another individual present that day agreed it was “bizarre” that a top executive from NBCUniversal would step foot inside ABC. “It’s beyond odd that the head of a rival news operation at a different network would come to ‘The View,’” noted one source with knowledge of the visit. But the visit to “The View” nonetheless raised eyebrows in the news biz. Jones is known to have accompanied some MSNBC talent to other media appearances, even on rival networks.
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