This surprising controversy is now rapidly dividing social media platforms just as the holiday season begins

former MSNBC host Joy Reid took issue with a popular Christmas carol, reposting a video that describes the beloved tune as racist. The now-viral clip has renewed scrutiny of the carol’s past, as the academic whose research the video is based on says that wasn’t her intent.

In the video, a man in festive attire stares at a plaque in Medford, Massachusetts, where James Lord Pierpont is believed to have written what became known as "Jingle Bells."

The video makes the argument that the song’s early performances were used to "mock" Black people. It goes on to discuss Pierpont’s history using racialized dialect and slurs in other works. The clip also notes that the writer later fought for the Confederate Army in defense of slavery.

Joy-Ann Reid speaks on stage during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s National Town Hall in Washington, D.C.

Joy-Ann Reid speaks onstage during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation annual Legislative Conference National Town Hall at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation)

"This is where a racist Confederate soldier wrote ‘Jingle Bells’ to make fun of Black people," reads the first caption on screen.

The video says that Pierpont was strapped for cash and wrote the original version, "The One Horse Open Sleigh," for performances where White actors in blackface caricatured Black people "trying to participate in winter activities."

Reid, who lost her MSNBC show "The ReidOut" earlier this year, reposted the clip to her 1.3 million Instagram followers, writing, "Lord have mercy." The video cites a 2017 Cambridge University Press paper titled "The Story I Must Tell: ‘Jingle Bells’ in the Minstrel Repertoire."

"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," writes author Kyna Hamill in the study

"Its blackface and racist origins have been subtly and systematically removed from its history," she added.

Joy Reid speaks onstage during the 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

Joy Reid speaks onstage at the 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, California, on Feb. 27. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

However, Hamill has repeatedly said her work is being misrepresented and that she never claimed "Jingle Bells" was written as racist mockery. She maintains her research focuses on the performance history of the song and where it originated, not on Pierpont’s intent in composing it.

"I never said it was racist now," Hamill told the Boston Herald in 2017, adding that she was not looking to dictate what songs are sung at Christmas.

James Lord Pierpont, born in Boston, penned "Jingle Bells" – a beloved holiday tune with a lot of history behind it.

Madison is a writer for Fox News Digital on the Flash team.

Breaking: Barack Obama Just Confirmed in Washington, D.C. — Details Emerging

In a development that is quickly drawing attention across the country, Barack Obama has just been confirmed in an announcement made in Washington, D.C., according to early reports. The confirmation, which occurred only moments ago, has sparked widespread interest as officials and observers wait for more details about the situation.

Initial information suggests that the announcement was made during a briefing in the nation’s capital, where officials confirmed the update involving the former president. While the full context of the confirmation is still unfolding, the news has already begun circulating rapidly through political circles and media outlets.

Barack Obama, who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017, remains one of the most influential po

litical figures in modern American politics. Any official confirmation involving him tends to generate immediate public and media attention, both domestically and internationally.

Sources close to the situation say additional statements may be released soon, which could clarify the nature of the confirmation and what it could mean moving forward. Analysts are already speculating about possible implications, though officials have urged the public to wait for verified information.

For now, the announcement from Washington, D.C. marks a developing story. More updates are expected as authorities and representatives provide further details in the coming hours.

Stay tuned as this story continues to unfold.

President Donald Trump Signs Major New Executive Order

In a dramatic new court filing, Ghislaine Maxwell has claimed that at least 25 alleged accomplices connected to Jeffrey Epstein quietly reached “secret settlements” related to abuse allegations — yet were never criminally charged.

The filing, submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, argues that newly discovered evidence reveals previously undisclosed agreements between plaintiff attorneys and multiple men who, according to Maxwell, could be considered co-conspirators in Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation.

“New evidence reveals that there were 25 men with whom the plaintiff lawyers reached secret settlements — that could equally be considered as co-conspirators,” Maxwell wrote in documents filed without the assistance of her legal team.

Maxwell, 63, is currently serving a 20-year federal sentence following her 2021 conviction on sex trafficking charges. In her latest submission, she maintains that prosecutors failed to disclose crucial information that could have altered the outcome of her trial.

“None of these men have been prosecuted and none has been revealed to me,” Maxwell wrote. “Had I known, I would have called them as witnesses.”

She further contends that the alleged concealment of these settlements — along with what she describes as jury bias — deprived her of a fair trial. According to Maxwell, if jurors had been informed of what she characterizes as “collusion” between government officials and civil attorneys, they may have reached a different verdict.

The filing also claims that four former employees of Epstein were referenced in both a prior non-prosecution agreement and the federal indictment he faced before his death in 2019, yet none of those individuals were ultimately charged.

The possibility that additional accomplices remain unidentified has reignited public scrutiny surrounding the Epstein case. Questions persist about whether the names of those who allegedly reached private settlements will ever be fully disclosed — particularly as federal authorities continue reviewing millions of pages of case-related documents.

To date, only Epstein and Maxwell have faced federal criminal charges directly tied to the sex-trafficking network. Others associated with Epstein have confronted civil lawsuits but have denied wrongdoing.

Among the most high-profile figures accused in civil proceedings was Prince Andrew, who was sued by Virginia Giuffre over allegations of sexual abuse when she was a minor. Prince Andrew has consistently denied the claims and later reached a financial settlement without admitting liability.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice has confirmed that hundreds of attorneys are reviewing an estimated 5.2 million pages of documents connected to the Epstein investigation. Officials say the review process is complex and requires extensive redactions to protect victims’ identities.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated in December that the review is an “all-hands-on-deck” effort, emphasizing that victim protection remains a top priority even as pressure mounts for greater transparency.

It remains unclear whether the 25 men referenced in Maxwell’s filing negotiated any agreements with federal prosecutors or whether their settlements were strictly civil in nature. Legal experts note that civil settlements do not automatically shield individuals from criminal liability — though non-prosecution agreements can.

Maxwell’s filing is widely viewed as part of her broader legal strategy to challenge her conviction. Whether the court will grant further hearings or consider the alleged new evidence remains to be seen.

The renewed claims have once again thrust the Epstein scandal into the national spotlight, raising persistent questions about accountability, transparency, and whether all those involved in the long-running abuse network have truly been brought to justice.

As document reviews continue and appeals move forward, the case remains one of the most controversial and closely watched criminal sagas in recent American history.