CROSS: “Very quick. Thank you so much, Angela. I just want to say, Joy, you know, I know exactly how you feel. I have been in the loving, warm, heavy hands of Angela Rye myself as she was just managing everything when I was in the throes of it. And so what a blessing our sister Angela is. And I want to congratulate Joy on your NAACP Image Award. Congratulate my co-host Angela on her NAACP Image Award. Congratulate Joloteca (ph) on her Image Award. We are leaders. We are made for a time such as this. And I want you all to know why this is so precious and why it matters. In the news media, it is so rare for black women, black people, period, but black women to have a voice and a platform.

Across all newsrooms, only 6 percent of newsroom staff is black. When you disaggregate that data, that means the number of black women are even fewer. When you disaggregate that data, that means the number of conscious black women who are not only black faces, but black voices are even fewer. Had it not been for the truth teller that you are, Joy Reid, I would never have gotten this platform. You put your stake on it. You put your stake on me. And what a blessing it is to have the baton passed to you from MHP and to have you pass the baton to me. I will be standing right there with you, next to you, tomorrow when you deliver your final show on that network. I already told you, I’m coming over. I’m briefly going to toast afterwards. We are going to have joy. And I want to be there with you when you sign off. And I heard you say — and I know that feeling, Joy, I heard you say my show mattered, but you’re speaking in past tense. I want you to know that you match her, present tense. Your voice matters. And I’m glad you’re not on camera because I don’t want you to be associated with these remarks. And I apologize to Bishop Daughtry right now because I’m going to try to stop myself from delivering some four-letter words, but I’m going to just say, don’t watch where you’re not welcome. Don’t shop where they won’t hire you. The same thing they say, don’t even hate-watch, and don’t believe the hype, because what comes next are the attacks, where they just start making up stuff. So brace yourself because you all are going to hear some things and they’re going to try to say some things because when movement happens, they don’t know how black women move. And because they don’t know that, they move like colonizers and then they try to put out an attack. We are here to support Joy. Don’t believe the hype about the ratings.

Her show was doing very well. You know whose ratings ain’t doing well, who ain’t never got fired? ‘Morning Joe.’ Joe Scarborough. They went to kiss the ring and they are still being elevated. The other — I could say a lot about other ratings, but if you look at them, Joy’s show has rated very well. She’s always done well. There are people in positions of power who do not like her opinions and truth telling courage when she spoke about what was happening in Gaza, among a lot of other things. And I am proud to call you my sister. And I just want to encourage everyone on this call, keep uplifting. Don’t share things that are negative.

Don’t repost — even if you’re criticizing it, don’t even give it breath, don’t even give it life. We need Joy. We have Joy. And that’s the only thing we’re trafficking in right now. Joy and uplifting our sister and holding your hand. And just thank you, Angela, so much for always holding the line, holding us. This is bringing me back to 2022 when I was in — in your custody. So I just can’t thank you enough. And I love you dearly. Shout out to all the machetes. I love you, Angela. And I love you deep, Joy Reid. I love you so deep. Thank you.”