When things got hot, didn’t just flee the kitchen — she totally ghosted longtime friend .

Insiders tell Straight Shuter that the MSNBC star strategically distanced herself from her friend the minute the network cut Reid loose. “Rachel loves Joy,” says a top network source, “but she loves her job more. When push came to shove, Rachel chose brand over bond.”

During a recent conversation with , which was posted on Substack, Reid hinted that her ouster was because she raised red-flag questions about race, censorship and the network’s true priorities.

“Rachel didn’t throw Joy under the bus,” adds an insider. “She just jumped off the friendship train one stop before the crash.”