The wait is over! MSNBC finally announced who will take over the coveted weekend slot vacated by AM Joy. Now, every Saturday at 10:00am, political analyst Tiffany Cross will host her own, yet-to-be named program following Joy Reid‘s move to weeknights. Here’s what you should know about Cross, 43, and her career before her show premieres on December 12:
1. She’s a savvy political analyst who frequently appears on MSNBC. Cross is no stranger to TV news. The political analyst is sought after for stories and panels about the 2020 presidential election, the Trump administration, and more. She’s not only covered politics in DC for decades, but worked on campaigns, as well.
2. Her show will tell stories representative of different cultures and communities. The still unnamed program, which airs for two hours on Saturday mornings, “is definitely a show for all the people who yell at the TV and don’t feel seen or understood,” Cross told The Washington Post. “I want people to know that I understand you because I am you.”
3. She always wanted to be a TV host. Cross started her career in journalism 20 years ago as a CNN producer, and was once the DC bureau chief for BET News, as well as the Liaison to the Obama Administration for BET. Growing up, she wanted to be the “brown Murphy Brown,” she told The Washington Post. “There certainly were moments in my career when I thought it wouldn’t happen,” she said. “It took a lot of chiseling away before I just declared, ‘You know what? I don’t need your welcome. I am declaring myself here and I am excited to work here.’”
4. She co-founded The Beat DC. The Beat DC currently isn’t publishing, according to their site. Cross described the venture as “a national platform intersecting politics, policy, business, media, and people of color. With a readership comprising influencers across the country, Tiffany led a team that made the fast moving current affairs in a busy legislative climate digestible for the political connoisseur and novice alike
5. She was a resident fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics. Cross’ fellowship took place in the Spring 2020 semester, alongside Chasten Buttigieg. Shortly after her fellowship ended, she published her first book: Say It Louder! Black Voters, White Narratives, and Saving Our Democracy.