Here’s What Tiffany Cross Said That May Have Led MSNBC To Cancel Her Show

MSNBC has cancelled The Cross Connection and cut its ties with host Tiffany Cross, effective immediately. Cross, whose show aired on weekends, had been with the network for two years, but in recent weeks had reportedly clashed with management over segments on her show.

Ratings performance—the most common cause of death for television shows—was not a factor in MSNBC’s decision to pull the plug on The Cross Connection, which aired Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET. In the first quarter of year, the show reported a 32% increase in viewership among viewers 25-54, the key demographic group valued by advertisers.

The show was part of a concerted effort by MSNBC to bring diverse voices to its programming, and Cross contributed to several cross-platform NBC initiatives on Black history and heritage. In February, Cross reported on her work to trace her ancestry, “highlighting the importance of American history, her personal family experience, and fighting against efforts to forget or rewrite the past.”

Variety, citing MSNBC sources, reported that Cross’ relationship with MSNBC was “becoming frayed” as executives grew “concerned about the anchor’s willingness to address statements made by cable-news hosts on other networks and indulging in commentary executives felt did not meet the standards of MSNBC or NBC News.”

The “final straw” for Cross may have been her comments this week about Florida. Appearing on Comedy Central’s Hell of a Week with Charlemagne, Cross was asked which state Democrats could afford to lose in the upcoming mid-term elections. “Florida literally looks like the d—k of the country, so let’s get rid of Florida,” Cross said. “Let’s castrate Florida.”

In the same appearance, Cross said that it was impossible to separate the Republican Party from “right wing extremists,” saying they had “merged right now”:

MSNBC says a rotating group of hosts will step in on Saturdays until a decision is made on filling the time slot. The network’s decision—and its timing ahead of next week’s pivotal elections—was criticized by former ESPN host Jemele Hill and writer Wajahat Ali: