Totally embarrassing herself, former MSNBC host Joy Reid reposted a viral Instagram video alleging “Jingle Bells” was written by Confederate soldier James Pierpont as a racist mockery of Black people via blackface minstrel shows, citing his use of slurs in other works.
The clip claims the 1857 song”One Horse Open Sleigh” caricatured Black winter activities. Based on Kyna Hamill’s 2017 paper on its minstrel performance history, Reid captioned it “Lord have mercy.” Hamill clarified later that her research highlights historical context and “misreading,” not intent or modern racism.
In any case, the caption to the original video read, “This is where a racist Confederate soldier wrote ‘Jingle Bells’ to make fun of Black people.” Prompting the controversial media figure to comment, “Lord have mercy,” and ” American history is a horror show.”
Apparently, this conspiracy theory originates from a 2017 paper from the so-called academic Kyna Hamill.
“The legacy of ‘Jingle Bells’ is, as we shall see, a prime example of a common misreading of much popular music from the nineteenth century,” she claimed, “Its blackface and racist origins have been subtly and systematically removed from its history.” However, later, she backpedaled, saying, “I never said it was racist now.”
However, when the news of Reid’s comments broke on social media, conservatives wildly mocked her claims. “JOY REID SHARES VIDEO CLAIMING ‘JINGLE BELLS’ WAS WRITTEN ‘TO MAKE FUN OF BLACK PEOPLE” They really can’t let people enjoy Christmas,” a lengthy breakdown began.
Continuing the analysis, popular conservative influencer Mario Newful noted, “Fired MSNBC host Joy Reid shared a video to her 1.3 million Instagram followers claiming the beloved Christmas anthem “Jingle Bells” was composed by a “racist Confederate soldier” to mock Black people and has ‘origins in bigoted minstrel shows.'”
He kept going, writing, “The video claims songwriter James Lord Pierpont wrote “The One Horse Open Sleigh” in 1850 for blackface performances that “mock and caricature black people trying to participate in winter activities.” It alleges that the lyric “laughing all the way” is “likely” a reference to a racist routine called the ‘Laughing Darkie.'”
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Explaining the consequences of this narrative, the conservative continued, “This already had real-world consequences. Council Rock Primary School in upstate New York banned “Jingle Bells” from its holiday concert over these claims. Reid, whose show “The ReidOut” was canceled in February, has a history of racially-charged takes, including claiming Trump wanted ‘reparations for white people.'”
Wrapping up, he bitterly joked, “Nothing is safe from the progressive grievance machine. Not Thanksgiving. Not the Fourth of July. And certainly not Christmas songs about sleigh rides. Next up: “Frosty the Snowman” is a dog whistle for white supremacists.”
In the comments under his post, conservatives were rightly angered. “Joy Reid needs to stop appropriating white culture by dyeing her hair blonde. I don’t have to touch it to know it’s theft of heritage,” one comment pointed out.
Continuing the mockery, another said, “Well, if she wasn’t race-baiting or spreading hate, she’d have nothing to say. Grifter be grifting always🤪” Agreeing with a reaction read, “When people do not have jobs, they have too much time to think. Sometimes it is good , and some times, like in this case, it is really bad🙏🏻😩”